You know that moment when everything seems to be looking up – and then just plummets? Director Sean Baker, known for The Florida Project and Red Rocket, knows that feeling all too well, and displays it perfectly in his new faux-Cinderella love story Anora. Mikey Madison (Scream, One Upon a Time… In Hollywood) finally gets the screentime she deserves playing the titular role as audiences are taken on a whirlwind of a journey into Anora’s life and newfound love.
The film centers around the young woman Anora, who works in a strip club to make ends meet when she meets Vanya, a twenty-something bachelor with daddy’s money and a carefree attitude. The two begin a relationship starting with Anora acting as an escort which rapidly escalates to a spur of the moment Vegas wedding. Beyond that is a mayhem infused and anxiety ridden plot that’ll keep a viewer from beginning to end.
A good majority of the movie was filmed on location, which is an attribute I love. Filming on location always adds a genuine touch to the story and seemingly puts it in the real world, making the film more relatable and authentic. I particularly liked one shot after Vanya and Anora get married and they are celebrating in Las Vegas. They are lit mostly by the shimmering lights of the casinos around them. The pair shows off Anora’s ring and announces their marriage to everyone willing to listen. The tourists they yell out to seem to be real tourists on the strip. The movie does everything to make the audience feel as though they also exist in the world around them. A lot of the spaces are filled with clutter and movement, which sustains the chaos.
The film deals with a lot of emotion centering on Anora herself and this dysfunctional relationship. I love any movie that makes me feel something, and this movie makes me see red in the best way. It conveys such intense emotion and so much of it had me fuming and angry with her position. It speaks to a lot of girls who had to deal with the certain actions of men in a very “but daddy I love him” manner.
She sees the good in him even when no one else in the film does and actively tells her not to. It focuses on the idea of falling in love so fast and the downfall it can cause. Mikey Madison delivers the performance of her career in this role. In one scene towards the end of the movie, she has a conversation with Vanya. During it, you see the raw emotion in her eyes and hear it in her voice. It feels so vulnerable and captivating. With Madison so early in her career, this movie makes me excited to see where she is heading.
There are so many amazing things about this film. The way it can make an audience feel is outstanding, and there’s so much more I did not get to touch on in this short column. I gave Anora 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who has ever felt the film industry was dying. It is inspiring, ambitious, and just an all-around firecracker of a film.
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