Touché ('Toosh'), Sean Baker.
The 2024 Palme d'Or winner "Anora" is my introduction to Sean Baker's filmography and his very sensual and hyperrealistic filmmaking style. He is known for crafting compelling narratives set in the underrepresented, often marginalised fringes of society. He brilliantly blends humour and drama together. With his latest film, "Anora," he manages to give a rather overlooked character the spotlight. This character is often judged very poorly and too quickly by the public. In fact, the film showcases the dichotomy between the two social classes in a very convincing way. The tone of the film gets progressively darker and more mature yet is also naturally hilarious and might be the funniest film of the year. Sean Baker is a masterful filmmaker, and I regret not having seen his films sooner. He really knows how to put the spectator in the role of the voyeur. Sean Baker's "Anora" is heart-pounding, intoxicating, adrenaline-fuelled, cathartic, and a guaranteed crowd pleaser with passionately interwoven dialogue. It is gripping from start to finish, leaving no room for a dull moment. At one moment my heartbeat was beating so fast I thought it would jump out. Throughout the entire movie, I had so much adrenaline pumping through my body, leaving me euphoric and with the ability to run a marathon in record time. I'll never forget watching this at 9:45 pm on a Saturday in a packed cinema. I was ecstatic; the audience was ecstatic watching this incredibly hilarious, beautiful film powerfully executed by one of the best directors in Hollywood today. Sean Baker is able to convey a Russian oligarch family in an eerily authentic manner. I mean, what was his writing process like when he crafted such an amazing screenplay that will surely garner a best screenplay nomination at the Oscars. Mikey Madison gives a career-defining performance that will definitely get her some much-deserved Oscar buzz and future success in Hollywood and beyond. She is the only person that can portray this complex, flawed, and "rootable" character with so much zeal and wit. In fact, this movie is a testament to her incredible dramatic and comedic range as an actress. Anora is her breakthrough role that will continue to garner praise for years to come. Previous winners "Triangle of Sadness" and "Anatomy of the Fall" could never have been so disproportionately chaotic, loud, and vivacious as this year's "Anora." It's one of the best Palme d'Or films with the best and least divisive and controversial ending in quite a while. Parasite was great, but the few times I have watched it, I get so bummed out by the ending. Same with the winners of the last three Palme d'Or's. The film culminates with an oddly beautiful yet heartbreaking ending where Anora finally learns the true meaning of love. She was never treated as gently and dignified by Ivan or any man other than Igor. He understood and respected her in a way she never expected. For the first time, Ani was treated as a human and equal and not as an object of desire. Although the ending is ambiguous, the viewer kind of knows where the character is headed. I loved how the film juxtaposes the two relationships that Ani had. From the moment Igor first appeared, I knew that he would make an impact in the film by simply being observant of the pans and camera angles the filmmaker uses with this character. For instance, when the camera pans on Igor as Ivan's mother threatens to make Anora's life a living hell if she doesn't board the plane, not only is it amusing to witness, but further proves that Anora and Igor are part of the same world. All the characters are layered and authentic, as in that it almost feels like the viewer is watching a real-life biopic. I really don't think the film has any faults whatsoever. Every second is accounted for, and there is literally no dull moment. It is a rare, unforgettable, flawless masterpiece with a morally decrepit and conflicting message that will certainly stick in the back of your mind for months.
After the credits, a plethora of thoughts lingered in my mind, like, How do I get back to my life after being exposed to this world that Sean Baker created?
Final verdict: 10/10.
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