Saw Anora last night. You know, sometimes you just can't beat the feeling of watching a quality film.
Sean Baker directs, writes, and edits. This is easily his best effort yet. The screenplay is sharp, witty, and often so funny you might struggle to catch your breath. The characters all feel like real people. Most aren't "bad" or "good" but fall somewhere in that grey area. The direction is more than competent. Baker knows how to direct his actors, or maybe how not to direct his actors. Baker loves naturalism. He often casts non-actors in lead or supporting roles. He also likes to allow his actors to improvise scenes. It's a tactic that's worked for Baker's films, as they all feel firmly set in the same world you and I live in.
Ivan is played to perfection by Mark Eydelshteyn. English is not Eydelshten's first language, and he speaks with a heavy Russian accent. He knows how to play into this and use it to his advantage, though. It's hard to explain exactly how, but Eydelshten is just naturally funny, sexy, and charismatic (seemingly without even trying). He injects plenty of youthful, boy-ish charm into his character, and Eydelshteyn carries himself with a swagger that conceals an awkwardness. It feels very realistic to men/boys of his age. Eydelshteyn is truly an incredible find. That said, as much as he shines, he's not the star and this isn't his film.
Anora is played by Mikey Madison. She has appeared and starred in multiple films (Chief among them 5cream and Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood. Films that both saw her entire head go up in flames during the third act), but this is inarguably her best performance yet. She is beautiful, and Anora's journey is thrilling and ultimately heart-breaking to watch. Anora's character arc really is something. She doesn't take poop from any one and is overflowing with spice. Madison nails the role with both hands tied behind her back (*ahem* not literally). The way she plays Anora as some realizations occur really is masterful. This is Mikey Madison's moment. It should be exciting to see whatever she chooses to do next and where her career goes from here.
Surprisingly, there are also supporting characters that impress and actually steal entire scenes. Toros (Karren Karagulian), Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan), and Igor (Yura Borislov) are henchmen for Ivan's mother and father. They are sent down by Ivan's parents to investigate rumors about Ivan's marriage. Their scenes feel like Martin Scorsese's After Hours as everything that could happen to get in the way of their success does. Their interactions with other characters are incredibly entertaining and gut-wrenchingly hilarious (So funny in fact that you might have a hard time catching your breath). There's a scene featuring them in Ivan's house that deserves to be studied and is one of the best scenes of 2024.
Drew Daniels was in charge of cinematography. He worked with Baker on his previous film, Red Rocket. Daniels work here blows Red Rocket out of the water. The film is just beautiful to look at. They manage to make the interior of a strip club NOT feel completely gross and dirty. most of Anora looks visually appealing. In fact, the opening credits scene might be my favorite from any film this year. Thanks to Drew Daniels, Anora is the best a Sean Baker film has ever looked.
Anora runs at approx. two hours and twenty minutes, and you definitely feel the run time by the end. Anora moves in stops and starts. Scenes can drag on, but even in scenes where you might feel the length there are still exceptional, masterful, worthwhile moments. That's honestly it for criticisms.
With Anora, Sean Baker has made a Pretty Woman for the modern age. It's funny, sad, and ultimately a ton of fun. Expect to see this get some Oscar nominations as it's another one of the best of 2024. Oh, and Greatest Day (Robin Schulz Rework) is my song of the year now.
5 STARS