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Anora (film)

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Anora
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySean Baker
Written bySean Baker
Produced by
  • Alex Coco
  • Samantha Quan
  • Sean Baker
Starring
CinematographyDrew Daniels
Edited bySean Baker
Music byMatthew Hearon-Smith
Production
companies
Distributed byNeon
Release dates
  • May 21, 2024 (2024-05-21) (Cannes)
  • October 18, 2024 (2024-10-18) (United States)
Running time
139 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Russian[2]
  • Armenian
Budget$6 million[3]
Box office$10 million[4][5]

Anora is a 2024 American romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker. It follows the beleaguered marriage between Brooklyn stripper Anora (Mikey Madison) and son of a Russian oligarch Ivan Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), and features a supporting cast of Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov.

Anora premiered on May 21, 2024, in competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or, the first American film to do so since The Tree of Life in 2011; it was released theatrically on October 18, 2024, by Neon. The film received critical acclaim.

Plot

[edit]

Anora "Ani" Mikheeva is a young stripper living in Brighton Beach, a Russian-speaking neighborhood in Brooklyn.

As Ani is the only stripper in her upscale Manhattan strip club who speaks Russian, her boss introduces her to Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov, the dissolute and immature son of wealthy Russian oligarch Nikolai Zakharov. Vanya is ostensibly in America to study, but prefers to party and play video games in his family's Brooklyn mansion. His parents pay his godfather Toros and henchmen Garnick and Igor to keep an eye on him and clean up his messes.

Vanya hires Ani for several sexual encounters. He grows attached to her and pays her $15,000 to stay with him for a week and pose as his girlfriend, triggering a whirlwind romance. Vanya and his entourage fly to Las Vegas, where Vanya asks Ani to marry him. Although Ani is initially skeptical, Vanya insists his love is genuine, and they elope in a small Vegas wedding chapel.

After the wedding, Vanya offhandedly mentions that he hopes to use Ani to obtain a green card so that he will not have to go home and work for his inattentive father. Ani quits her job at the club and throws herself into the role of Vanya's devoted wife, but Vanya remains childish and thoughtless. News of the wedding spreads on Russian social media, to the fury of Vanya's domineering mother, Galina. She orders Toros to find the couple and arrange an annulment while the family flies to America.

Toros sends Garnick and Igor to the mansion to confront Ani and Vanya. They inform Vanya that his parents will take him back to Russia, while enraging Ani by repeatedly calling her a prostitute. Vanya flees on foot, leaving Ani to deal with the fallout. She fights Garnick and Igor, injuring both and destroying much of Vanya's living room in the process; they eventually subdue her. When Toros arrives, he lectures Ani about Vanya's immaturity and explains that Vanya has no personal assets to split in a divorce. He offers her $10,000 to accept the annulment. Ani insists that she and Vanya are in love, but reluctantly agrees to help Toros find him in the hope that she is able to remind Vanya of their love. Toros also confiscates Ani's wedding ring.

Ani, Toros, Garnick, and Igor spend most of the night driving around Brooklyn looking for Vanya. They learn that Vanya, unable to cope with the stress, has gone on a bender and is visiting a string of nightclubs. Ani catches Vanya receiving a lap dance from a rival stripper at her old workplace. She desperately tries to explain the situation to Vanya, but he is too intoxicated to listen. After learning that a New York judge cannot annul the wedding since Ani and Vanya were wed in Nevada, Galina – who has just landed in New York with Nikolai – orders the group to fly to Las Vegas.

Ani introduces herself to Vanya's parents in Russian, attempting to prove herself to them and salvage her marriage to Vanya, but Galina is unmoved and openly contemptuous of Ani. Vanya immediately concedes to his parents, coldly telling Ani that the marriage is impossible. Ani, having not signed a prenuptial agreement, threatens to force Vanya through lengthy divorce proceedings, but Galina promises to destroy her life if she does. Recognizing Vanya's immaturity and his family's power, Ani gives in and agrees to the annulment. After the papers are signed, Igor suggests that Vanya apologize to Ani, but Galina insists that her son will not apologize to anyone. Before leaving, Ani insults Vanya and Galina for their dysfunction, causing Nikolai to laugh gleefully.

Igor takes Ani back to New York to pack up her belongings. They spend a final night in Vanya's family's mansion, where they exchange mild, but genuine, conversation, including Igor admitting that the day prior was his birthday. In the morning, Igor gives Ani the money Toros promised her and drives her home. Before dropping her off, he returns Ani's wedding ring as a token of goodwill. Ani responds by initiating sex with Igor, but resists when he attempts to kiss her. Overwhelmed, she breaks down crying in his arms.

Cast

[edit]
  • Mikey Madison as Anora "Ani" Mikheeva, a high-priced stripper at the Headquarters strip club[6]
  • Mark Eydelshteyn (alternatively anglicized to "Eidelstein") as Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov, the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch[7]
  • Yura Borisov as Igor, a Russian henchman hired by Toros to look after Vanya
  • Karren Karagulian as Toros, an Armenian handler employed by Vanya's father to look after him
  • Vache Tovmasyan as Garnick, an Armenian henchman hired by Toros
  • Aleksei Serebryakov as Nikolai Zakharov, Vanya's father
  • Darya Ekamasova as Galina Zakharova, Vanya's mother
  • Lindsey Normington as Diamond, a Headquarters stripper who competes with Ani for clients
  • Ivy Wolk as Crystal, Vanya’s friend who works at a Coney Island candy shop
  • Luna Sofía Miranda as Lulu, another Headquarters stripper
  • Alena Gurevich as Klara
  • Sebastian Conelli as Tow Truck Driver
  • Ella Rubin as Vera, Ani's roommate

Production

[edit]
Director Sean Baker with his wife and co-producer Samantha Quan

Sean Baker stated that Anora was inspired by a story from a friend about a Russian-American newlywed who was kidnapped for collateral. He was also inspired by his work in 2000 and 2001, when he edited wedding videos, including ones of Russian-Americans in New York.[8] Baker has stated that his intentions were towards "telling human stories, by telling stories that are hopefully universal [...] It's helping remove the stigma that's been applied to [sex work], that's always been applied to this livelihood."[9] Baker hired Andrea Werhun, a Canadian writer and actress best known for her 2018 memoir Modern Whore about her prior time as a sex worker, as a creative consultant.[10]

Baker chose to cast Mikey Madison as the eponymous character after seeing her performances in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Scream.[8][11] He hired Madison without an audition.[12] Madison learned Russian, visited strip clubs, and studied the Brooklyn accent to prepare for the part.[12] Although some media outlets incorrectly reported that the character of Anora Mikheeva was Uzbek-American, Baker later clarified in an interview with NPR that Anora "is of Russian ethnicity" and "from one of the post-Soviet countries".[11][13][14]

Principal photography took place at the beginning of 2023 in Brooklyn, New York.[15] It was filmed over the course of 37 days, with the 25 minute home invasion scene taking 10 days to film. It was shot using Kodak Vision 5219 35mm film on a Arricam and color correction was done through DaVinci Resolve at FotoKem.[16] Alex Coco, one of the film's producers, worked as a disc jockey for the music in the scenes in the club.[17] Baker had over 30 speaking parts in the film.[18]

For the Zakharov mansion, Baker filmed at 2458 National Drive, a Mill Basin mansion once owned by Vasily Anisimov, an actual oligarch with ties to Russia. Baker had searched on Google for "the biggest and best mansion in Brighton Beach."[19] To learn more about the area, Baker and Mikey Madison temporarily moved to southern Brooklyn during pre-production. Toros and Ani's search for Vanya during his Brooklyn bender is filmed in a number of restaurants and clubs that the producers had actually frequented.[20] Adobe Premiere Pro was used for editing.[21]

At a press conference in Cannes, Madison stated that Baker and producer Samantha Quan, who is Baker's wife, would act out different sex positions to demonstrate what they wanted the actors to do. Madison was offered an intimacy coordinator, but said: "As I'd already created a really comfortable relationship with both of them for about a year, I felt that that would be where I was most comfortable with and it ended up working so perfectly."[9]

The movie soundtrack includes "Dreaming" by Blondie, "All the Things She Said" by t.A.T.u. and "Greatest Day" by Take That.[22]

Release

[edit]
Yura Borisov, Sean Baker, Mikey Madison, Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan at TIFF 2024

Worldwide distribution rights were acquired by FilmNation Entertainment in October 2023. The film was then sold by FilmNation to Le Pacte for France, Lev for Israel, Kismet for Australia and New Zealand, and Focus Features/Universal Pictures International for the rest of the world excluding North America in deals similar to those made on Baker's previous film, Red Rocket.[15] In November 2023, Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film,[23] and opened it in limited release on October 18, 2024.[24][25]

Anora premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024,[26][27] and won the festival's Palme d'Or on May 25.[28] It earned a 10-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.[29] It became the fifth consecutive Palme d'Or winner distributed by Neon in the United States, following Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, and Anatomy of a Fall; all except Titane went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Parasite winning.[30] It is also the first American-produced film to win the Palme d'Or since 2011's The Tree of Life.[31]

The film also played at the Toronto International Film Festival,[32] the New York Film Festival,[33] the San Sebastián International Film Festival,[34] and has been selected by the Busan International Film Festival,[35] the BFI London Film Festival,[36] the 19th Rome Film Festival[37] and several others. It was also the closing film at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024.[38]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

As of November 7, 2024, Anora has grossed $4.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $5.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $10 million.[5][4]

In the United States, the film made $550,503 in its opening weekend from six theaters; its per-screen-average of $91,751 was the best of 2024 (topping Kinds of Kindness' $75,458 average), and the second-best since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (after Asteroid City's $142,230).[39][40] Expanding to 34 theaters in its sophomore weekend, the film made $908,830 and finished in eighth place.[41]

Critical response

[edit]
Mikey Madison's performance was praised.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 232 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Another marvelous chronicle of America's strivers by writer-director Sean Baker given some extra pizzazz by Mikey Madison's brassy performance, Anora is a romantic drama on the bleeding edge."[42] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 91 out of 100, based on 59 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[43] On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on 45 reviews from French critics.[44]

Greta Gerwig, serving as the president of the 77th Cannes Film Festival Jury, commented that "[Anora] was something we collectively felt we were transported by, we were moved by [...] It felt both new and in conversation with older forms of cinema. There was something about it that reminded us of [the] classic structures of Lubitsch or Howard Hawks, and then it did something completely truthful and unexpected."[45]

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair wrote: "[Anora is] a wild, profane blast [...] Even when Baker's storytelling and dialogue gets repetitive, Madison keeps things lively [...] I found myself torn between finding Baker's conclusions compassionate and sensing a vague whiff of something patronizing. [...] Baker's explorations of outsiders tend to tread between graciousness and gawking, benevolent anthropology and the more malevolent, missionary kind."[46]

Justin Chang of The New Yorker wrote: "Anora plays like a wild dream—first joyous, then catastrophic, and always fiercely unpredictable [...] A contemporary return to screwball tradition is a welcome but challenging proposition, and Baker's play with the form is hardly seamless. [Anora] built up a righteous steam of fury, now unleashes it against the Ivans of the world and salutes those toiling thanklessly in their employ."[11]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival May 25, 2024 Palme d'Or Sean Baker Won [47]
Miskolc International Film Festival September 14, 2024 Emeric Pressburger Prize Anora Nominated [48]
Toronto International Film Festival September 15, 2024 People's Choice Award 2nd Runner-up [49]
Mill Valley Film Festival October 16, 2024 MVFF Breakthrough Performance Award Mikey Madison Won [50]
Savannah Film Festival November 2, 2024 Breakthrough Award Won [51]
Imagine Film Festival November 2, 2024 Silver Scream Award Sean Baker Won [52]
Celebration of Cinema and Television November 12, 2024 Producer Award Samantha Quan Won [53]
Gotham Awards December 2, 2024 Best Feature Sean Baker, Alex Coco and Samantha Quan Pending [54]
Best Director Sean Baker Pending
Outstanding Lead Performance Mikey Madison Pending
Outstanding Supporting Performance Yura Borisov Pending
British Independent Film Awards December 8, 2024 Best International Independent Film Sean Baker, Alex Coco and Samantha Quan Pending [55]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Anora (18)". British Board of Film Classification. September 9, 2024. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  2. ^ "62nd New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced". Film at Lincoln Center. August 6, 2024. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "'Anora' won top prize at Cannes. How did Sean Baker direct it?". KCRW. October 30, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Anora (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Nash Information Services. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Anora (2024)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Canfield, David (May 23, 2024). "The "Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity" of Cannes Darling Anora". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "Anora". Neon. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Macaulay 2024, p. 47.
  9. ^ a b Ritman, Alex; Shafer, Ellise (May 22, 2024). "Sean Baker Makes Movies About Sex Workers in Hopes of 'Helping Remove the Stigma' — and He's 'Already Talking About the Next One'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  10. ^ Vincent Perella, "Sean Baker Didn’t Pick Up on the Similarities Between ‘Anora’ and ‘Pretty Woman’ Until Halfway Through Production" Archived September 21, 2024, at the Wayback Machine. IndieWire, September 8, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Chang, Justin (October 11, 2024). ""Anora" Is a Strip-Club Cinderella Story—and a Farce to Be Reckoned With". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Ford, Rebecca (October 16, 2024). "Mikey Madison's Life Hasn't Changed Yet—but When the World Sees 'Anora,' It Will". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Whipp, Glenn (October 16, 2024). "Review: Sean Baker's freewheeling 'Anora' is a stripper's fairy tale crashing to Earth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Westervelt, Eric (October 20, 2024). "Sean Baker on writing and directing 'Anora'". NPR. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Lang, Brent (October 25, 2023). "'Red Rocket' Director Sean Baker and FilmNation Entertainment Reteam on 'Anora' With Mikey Madison Starring (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Macaulay 2024, pp. 45–46.
  17. ^ Macaulay 2024, p. 49.
  18. ^ Macaulay 2024, p. 54.
  19. ^ Quinlan, Adriane (October 18, 2024). "The Real Russian Oligarch Family Who Built Anora's Mansion". Curbed. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  20. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (October 4, 2024). "How Sean Baker Made 'Anora' — a Twisted Brooklyn Love Story Filled With Sex, Strippers and Russian Oligarchs". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Macaulay 2024, p. 45.
  22. ^ Pilley, Max (November 2, 2024). "Here's every song on the 'Anora' soundtrack". NME. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  23. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 2, 2023). "Sean Baker Pic 'Anora' Acquired By Neon For North America". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  24. ^ Lang, Brent (June 4, 2024). "Sean Baker's Palme d'Or Winner 'Anora' Scores Fall Release Date From Neon (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  25. ^ Grobar, Matt (July 15, 2024). "'Anora' Trailer: Mikey Madison's Stripper Falls For Son Of Russian Oligarch In Neon's Palme D'Or Winner From Sean Baker". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  26. ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. May 8, 2024. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  27. ^ Ntim, Zac (April 11, 2024). "Cannes Film Festival Lineup Set: Competition Includes Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino & Abbasi's Trump Movie — Full List". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  28. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (May 25, 2024). "Sean Baker's 'Anora' wins Palme d'Or at 2024 Cannes Film Festival". Screen International. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  29. ^ Hipes, Patrick; Ntim, Zac (May 21, 2024). "Sean Baker's 'Anora' Gets 10-Minute Ovation In Cannes Film Festival World Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  30. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 25, 2024). "Fantastic Five! Neon Makes It Five Palme d'Or Winners In A Row As 'Anora' Scoops Cannes Top Prize". Deadline. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  31. ^ Rothkopf, Joshua (May 25, 2024). "Sean Baker's 'Anora' wins Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "Anora". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  33. ^ "Anora". New York Film Festival. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  34. ^ Ford, Lily (September 21, 2024). "Sean Baker Talks 'Anora' Success in San Sebastian: "I'm Not Looking for It to Get Me a Marvel Film"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  35. ^ "The 29th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. September 3, 2024. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  36. ^ Tabbara, Mona. "BFI London Film Festival unveils full 2024 line-up". Screen. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  37. ^ "Films of the 2024 Film Fest". Cinema Foundation for Rome. September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  38. ^ Staff, Scroll (October 9, 2024). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will open with Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine as Light'". Scroll.in. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  39. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 20, 2024). "Anora Rocks Best Per Screen Opening Of 2024 As Neon Calls Out Critical & Audience Trajectory Similar To Parasite – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  40. ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 42". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  41. ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 43". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  42. ^ "Anora". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 7, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  43. ^ "Anora". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  44. ^ "Anora: Les critiques presse" (in French). AlloCiné. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  45. ^ Sciences, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and. "Sean Baker's 'Anora' Wins Palme d'Or at 2024 Cannes Film Festival: See the Full Winners List". A.frame. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  46. ^ Lawson, Richard (May 21, 2024). "'Anora' Is a Raucous Good Time With a Gut-Punch of an Ending". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  47. ^ Murray, Miranda (May 25, 2024). Merriman, Jane (ed.). "Exotic dancer drama 'Anora' wins Cannes Film Festival's top prize". Reuters. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  48. ^ "The 20th Anniversary Edition of CineFest Miskolc IFF Ready to Take Off". FilmNewEurope. August 31, 2024. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  49. ^ Rebecca Rubin, "Tom Hiddleston’s ‘The Life of Chuck’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". Variety, September 15, 2024.
  50. ^ "AwardsWatch - 47th Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) Brings Amy Adams, Mikey Madison, Danielle Deadwyler, Jude Law, Payal Kapadia to the Bay Area for Awards and Tributes". AwardsWatch. September 11, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  51. ^ "AwardsWatch - 2024 SCAD Savannah Film Festival Honorees Include Steve McQueen, Karla Sofía Gascón and Sebastian Stan". AwardsWatch. September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  52. ^ "Awards & Jury's". Imagine Filmfestival Amsterdam. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  53. ^ "The Critics Choice Association Anounces Full Slate of Honorees for the 3rd Annual Celebration of AAPI Cinema & Television – Critics Choice Awards". Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  54. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 29, 2024). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Anora' Leads Pack, 'Challengers' & 'Nickel Boys' Among Group Up For Best Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  55. ^ "BIFA 2024 Nominations Announced · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". BIFA · British Independent Film Awards. November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.

Works cited

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