Sean Baker’s newest film Anora shares a lot of DNA with his previous works. The film stars Mikey Madison as the titular Anora-who goes by Ani in the film-and her crazy two-week escapade with the son of a young Russian oligarch. Everything from the harsh lighting to the themes of poverty and sex work is acutely in line with Baker’s filmography. But everything about Anora from the performances to the crushing pace elevates this film above his previous outings.

Mikey Madison is a true standout here with gritty star potential. The other minor characters like her beau for the week Ivan to longtime Baker collaborator Karren Karagulian are expertly crafted and beautifully fill out the world Baker has created. Anora is a top contender in many Oscar races and it’s easy to see why.

The Night Butterfly

Anora opens in a grimy neon-lit strip club. The film doesn’t just introduce the audience to the strip club, it has us stay there for a while. We follow Ani and other strippers and they flirt with customers, shake for tips, and bicker with one another. The way this opening sequence is shot and paced gives us a sense of the mundanity of these girls’ lives. It’s a sensational work place, but for them it’s just work. A way to make a paycheck while using their bodies.

It’s a fascinating dive into the characters we’ll be following, specifically Ani. At first, the scene is a bit shocking, filled with nudity, creepy touches from older men, and an abundance of cash. But after we’ve spent some time here it becomes routine. This is her life, what she does for work every night. It quickly becomes mundane before the plot starts in earnest as Ani is approached by a group of wealthy young Russian men who have personally requested her.

Lifestyles of the Young and Rich

Mark Eydelshteyn plays Ivan, a super young but incredibly wealthy Russian man. He spends copious amounts of money on Ani, eventually asking her if she offers any after-hours services. Ani, seeing the opportunity to make some quick cash, obliges and soon becomes Ivan’s paid girlfriend.

It’s here where the film takes on a breakneck pace without letting up. Ivan pays her for a week of services in a scene pulled from straight from Pretty Woman and the two along with a group of Ivan’s friends head to Vegas. Each day blends together between drugs, sex, and general partying. Ivan eventually makes Ani and offer she cant refuse. A chance for them to marry and for this new life of excess to continue indefinitely.

What Happens in Vegas

The first act of Anora is almost totally devoid of conflict. Ani and Ivan have sex, do drugs, drink excessively, and play video games in his mansion. It all happens so fast and is presented so slick that the audience, and Ani, barely have time to process the potential fallout of their week-long tryst. Ani quits her job to live full-time in Ivan’s mansion and finally for the first time gives herself a moment to breathe. She’s made it out of the grind and entered a life most only dream of. It’s here though when the movie slows its pace that Ani is given a sharp taste of reality.

Once Ivan’s parents learn about his marriage to a sex worker they are none too pleased. A gang of goons are sent to apprehend Ani and Ivan in a three-stooges style sequence and force them to get divorced. A proposition that Ani resists with every will of her being.

The Partys Over

Sean Baker is playing with a lot of themes here in Anora, showing both sides of life. It’s a classic fish-out-of-water tale but presented in a gritty yet slapstick style manner. Some scenes in Anora are truly laugh-out-loud funny and others are a total gut punch. The realization slowly starts to hit Ani that this ride couldn’t last forever. Ivan is not some knight in shining armor. He’s a spoiled rich kid who’s only been using her for her body and to get back at his parents.

The gut punch comes when Ani begins to figure this out as well. Mikey Madison plays Ani to perfection and we get the sense that she is street-smart and wise beyond her years. She’s apprehensive and in control throughout the entire film until the inevitable powers stronger than her put her in a position from which she can’t escape. It’s heartbreaking to watch her new life of excess be painfully ripped away from her but Baker makes it clear this isn’t Pretty Woman. This isn’t a fairy tale. It’s the bitter pill of a life of wealth vs a life of poverty. Some people have all the power and will never face the consequences of their actions. And it’s the poor people they’ve left in their wake who are left to suffer.

Moving On

Anora ends with one of the most heartbreaking and poignant scenes put on film this year. After Ani’s crazy week, she is brought back to essentially the same place she began. She has a little more money in her pocket and is a little wiser but still unable to break the cycle of her life. She has a sexual encounter with one of Ivan’s henchmen, Igor, and the second he shows her affection she collapses. This ending is open to several interpretations but it’s an ending that leaves the audience feeling just as gutted as Ani. She had it all and lost it. And now she’s back where she started.

Anora is a truly special film and one that’s sure to leave audiences mesmerized. Technically the film is a masterpiece with an incredible soundtrack and transcendent acting. Its themes of love and wealth are universal and the film paints a picture of how either side lives. Anora is one of the best films of this year and a true elevation for Sean Baker as a filmmaker.