Anora is an incredible film. At it’s best it’s relentless, reminiscent of and possibly outpacing the energy of Uncut Gems. It’s heartfelt, it’s extremely funny at all the right moments, and the first and last act are exceptionally powerful.
Anora is about class and status, but doesn’t preach to you. It’s about rich people that are worthless and poor people that can’t comprehend vast wealth and it’s implications. While the film is driven by power imbalance, how decisions can be inconsequential to one person but be world-changing to another, it’s always human. Everyone on the screen is considered with respect.
It’s a Cinderella story. After a whirlwind week, a sex worker marries an heir to a fortune. But unlike Cinderella, she doesn't have the blessing of the family.
What I find most impressive about Anora is how it has messages so profound without seeming like it’s trying to say much. I never felt like the screenwriters were being clever - I just felt like they were telling a real, human story.
And the lived-in-ness of the world extends far beyond the script. It’s extremely in touch with modern culture (I enjoyed seeing the liberal use of Juuls and dab pens, grounding the film in the current generation of smoking). This sense of realness is propelled by the outstanding performance of Mikey Madison as Anora (Ani) herself, bringing a fierce chaotic energy to a surprisingly complex role. Ani has a lot going on, but never lets the audience in on what she’s doing, how she really feels. She protects this sort of innocence in the sweetest, most tragic way.
The film is beautifully shot with anamorphic lenses, pushing the notion of the the fucked-up Cinderella story further. Framing a poor stripper with such cinematic elegance as though she’s destined for greatness is fitting for such a tale. But, unlike a Disney story, Anora makes you question the premises of such a relationship. Could two people from such different backgrounds really fall in love? How does (inherited) money effect one’s self-worth? How do people find value in themselves?
The center of the film involves Ani floating around New York City in a nightmare haze of uncertainty, clinging to fading hopes that her life will be forever changed. Everyone knows how the film will end, how it has to end, but we still like to believe in the fantasy that she lives in. Despite the way we know the world works we get lost with her, share her dreams and desires.
The rich can play games with little consequence. They can play with emotions because what they say carries weight from their money alone. They can give and take anything with the flick of a pen.
The final act is as cathartic as it is devastating. The film ends on the most powerful shot that I’ve seen from a new release in a long time. It alone transcends the film from something good and fun to something great and profound, capturing the complexity of the central character and her fears, desires, her world. It will stay with me for a while to come.