Anora
Year: 2024
Rating: R
Length: 139 minutes / 2.32 hours
When I first watched Anora (2024) in theaters, I had heard a lot of buzz about how good it was. This was shortly before it was nominated for Best Picture, and I agreed it was a strong contender to win (which it did). There were three ways I thought the Best Picture could go, and Anora was the film that aligned best with modern cinema, with more independent artists in full control of their work. That it is also a striking (and hilarious) examination of the difference between the working class and the owning class is a bonus.
The first act of Anora felt obnoxious as it introduced the titular character and this Russian oligarch’s son who wanted to buy this stripper’s time for an extended binge of hedonism. However, once reality hits the situation and the movie pivots, the unlikely group of people searching for this runaway son provides some of the funniest moments I’ve seen in a movie in a long time. Fortunately, there’s enough time to calm down and get serious in the end where it becomes obvious that Anora (Mikey Madison) is from a completely different world from Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn).
There’s this poignant point of showing the contrast between a sex worker, which many consider to be the lowest form of service work, and people who have so much money it’s barely a concept to them. That the henchmen for these oligarchs are barely above Anora’s level as they are forced to stay out all night searching for Ivan highlights how much power the ruling class has over everyone else. If for no other reason, I think this almost melancholy realization by the end of the film is what helped earn it that Best Picture statue.
A loud, funny, and thoughtful examination of class disparity, I give Anora 4.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
