Movie review: ‘Anora’ is morbidly spectacular

Each year, the Palme d’Or is awarded to the director of the year’s best feature film that is admitted to the highly prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The award is often considered to be second in value, following only the Best Picture Academy Award. 

With this in mind, when a film from the idiosyncratic director Sean Baker — known for stunts like filming an entire movie on an iPhone (“Tangerine”) and sneaking into Disneyland to record footage against the park’s policy (“The Florida Project”) — won the esteemed Palme d’Or laurels at the 2024 Cannes festival, it turned heads. 

In contrast to the more to-be-expected dramatic winners like 2019’s “Parasite” or 2023’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” Baker — also known for having an interest in telling the stories of disenfranchised female sex workers — stood out as a director differentiated from the suits, ties and general prestige expected of the award recipient. Instead, his film “Anora” embraces the intrinsic messiness of its subject matter, resulting in a story that feels authentically human.

In “Anora,” star Mikey Madison plays the titular character, a sex worker whose life unexpectedly changes when Zakharov, the boyish son of a Russian oligarch, played by Mark Eidelstein, meets her in the club where she works to ask her to be exclusive with him. What directly proceeds this request feels like the archetypal teenage male fantasy — a girlfriend available for sex at all times, with only breaks to play video games — but quickly morphs into a charming romance dripping with the blissful naivety of young love. 

This bubble bursts when Zakharov’s father attempts to break up their relationship, threatening a fantasy between two people of distinctly different backgrounds that perhaps was doomed from the start.

Despite being only 139 minutes, “Anora’s” breakneck, real-time pacing almost makes it feel like three distinguishable films. The first third of the film is devoted to a modern-day Romeo and Juliet performance, in which Eidelstein really gets to shine. 

His youthful humor and apparent cluelessness to the world around him make him charmingly pathetic to not just Anora, but the audience as well. He plays well off Madison’s character with undeniable chemistry, subverting the normal shyness of budding romances via Zakharov’s blunt demands in broken English and Anora’s background as a sex worker. 

Although Anora, Zakharov and the audience might wish they could stay in this salacious fairytale forever, dripping with the bright neon of nightclubs and, at times, the Las Vegas strip, the fish-out-of-water story is plunged back into the ocean when Zakharov’s family gets word of the relationship and sends hitmen to break it up.

The hilarious incompetence of the goons, mixed with the frightening urgency of the situation, lends itself to some great comedic moments in this fast-paced, stressful sequence. These moments introduce the audience to Igor (Yuriy Borisov), one of the men sent to break off the relationship who becomes a surprise standout of the film, with his stereotypical Eastern-European sincerity contrasting the spoiled, exuberant Zakharov.

With the first two thirds of “Anora” being a rollercoaster of romance, drama and comedy, the final bits of the film finally allow some space to breathe. Without delving into spoilers, this rectitude does not result in a feeling of contentment, as the harsh realities of Anora’s situation come crashing down on the audience like a speeding car that hits a brick wall.

“Anora” offers a little bit of everything for its audience. On one hand, it’s a realistic, grounded story akin to Baker’s other films. On the other, it bleeds bittersweet, as its soundtrack consists entirely of pre-existing songs and luscious cinematography that seduces audience members with nostalgia for older romantic tales that they hope “Anora” will emulate. 

“Anora” isn’t interested in being a classic Hollywood romance. Instead, it lets Madison’s character take the lead, with the events that transpire occurring because of her decisions and harsh reality. 

Though there are some flaws in the film — such as an over-indulgent runtime — that question whether it really should’ve won the Palme d’Or over other Cannes standouts like “The Substance” or “The Apprentice,” “Anora” is a deeply important and entertaining film that shines light on the humane side of the sex-worker industry in an intently faithful manner.

Rating: 4/5