Ani is a young sex worker in Brooklyn who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch Vanya. After their first meetings, the two become very close and marry in secret making it seem like a romantic dream come true for Ani. Soon, their fairytale marriage is threatened when a trio of goons sent by Vanya's parents come to take the couple to force them into an annulment, making the marriage meaningless.
Anora is a beautiful, dramatic and intense film that starts out as a fairytale romance that seems way too good to be true. It is very colorful, sexy and glamorous with the lifestyle Ani and Vanya live. They click right away with dynamic chemistry between Madison and Eydelshteyn who seem like they could be together all day and still enjoy each other's company. It is pretty cute to see how these two very different people get so attached and happy together making for a lot of heartwarming moments...
But then the home invasion kicks in and the movie changes all for the better. I love the way this movie flows once trio of Toros, Garnick and Igor show up. This movie is so funny from how over-the-top the comedy and dialogue is while remaining nerve-racking because Ani is alone with three men she does not know and Vanya is nowhere to be seen. The search for him becomes very intense with it being unpredictable if he is gonna be fine or not with both his wife and family trying to reach him. The story leads to some insane revelations that made story that much juicier.
The tone balances between comedic and dramatic. There are a lot of hilarious moments in this movie, especially with the misadventures with Ani and the trio, but it has some of the most important and powerful themes of the year. It delves into a relationship with a rich person and a lower class person go completely wrong showing why it is not the Cinderella dream it might seem. Another theme is how hard one person fights for the marriage or relationship only for their partner to give up on it quickly. A lot of this movie shows the more unsavory parts of romance or marriage especially marriages that happen quickly and secretly. This movie is definitely not a star-crossed lovers dream that it might seem on the surface, but that is what makes the movie so much more compelling.
Mikey Madison is sensational as Ani. She has so much range from sweetnatured at the start, ballistic when confronted by the trio, absolutely exhausted towards the end and sadness. We can even see how tired Ani is the longer the search goes on which I do not see too often with actors looking like they are struggling to stay awake. Madison shows in this role how flexible she is and she brings so much depth, personality and passion in Ani that I do not think another actress could bring to this character. Madison delivers one of the best lead performances I have seen in years and might just have my single favorite one this year.
Ani as a character is fascinating. On the surface, she seems like an abrasive and shallow woman who might come off as obnoxious with how much she screams after the invasion, but she has a good reason. She starts out as a rather friendly and outgoing person who treats everyone with kindness who is not rude to her. She is completely devoted and determined in her relationship with Vanya and she goes from hell to back to find her husband. She barely sleeps at all and the whole movie has her dream world crash down to reality each step of the way. No wonder why she becomes so enraged and I am fully on her side the entire movie. Ani is a fantastic character with multiple layers and a difficult journey.
The supporting is outstanding too and I do not see them get enough love. Mark Eydelshteyn is very charming as Vanya and he shows Vanya's other side to perfection. Yura Borisov as Igor is my favorite supporting role. Unlike everyone else, he has such a calm and lovable presence making for the best kind of straight man for this story. Karren Karagulian is memorable as the hotheaded Toros who is sympathetic to a degree towards Ani, but makes it clear he will find Vanya no matter what. Karagulian has some really fun rants in this movie. Vache Tovmasyan is a lot of fun to watch as the unfortunate Garnick. I could not help but feel a little sorry for him because he goes through the wringer here. Darya Ekamasova only has a few scenes as Vanya's mother, but she has an ice-cold presence that commands the direction of the movie when she shows up. This cast is phenomenal and everyone brings something to the table.
Visually, the movie looks awesome. The cinematography by Drew Daniels is lovely to look at between the lively color grading with terrific use of red and blue and smooth and fluid camera movement that captures all of the chaos happening. The editing is razor-sharp too, especially during the invasion scene and the scenes with Ani and the trio searching for Vanya making the drama that much more intense. I also love the set designs, especially Vanya's house with the giant mirror in his living room. It makes for a great way to show the different between Ani's normal life and the life Vanya lives.
One thing I noticed throughout the film is that there is not a whole lot of music. There are some great songs in the first third, but after the invasion, the movie plays without any music that is not playing on one of the sets. Even the credits have no music! I find it a very interesting stylistic choice. I can see that Sean Baker wanted reality to be as sucky as possible for the Ani so once separates with Vanya, the good times for end and I think that is what the lack of music represents. It is a weird choice, but I think it is very unique and risky.
I am so glad that I took a second trip to the theater this weekend to catch this movie. Anora is an amazing movie with some of the most memorable performances and themes of the year. The first third is not quite as strong as the next two thirds, but after the invasion kicking off the rest of the film, I was hooked with this story and never wanted it to end. Sean Baker delivered such a great shattering of the Cinderella dream romance. This is one of the best movies of the year and I recommend seeing it as soon as possible.
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