'Anora' review: Sean Baker, Mikey Madison's masterful sex worker film deserves an Oscar

Baker is complicating the Cinderella fairytale cliches in the way we always needed

A movie can basically never appeal to everyone, but there's something about Anora (now in theatres) that quickly makes you fall in love with this masterful film about a sex worker from Brooklyn. Written and directed by Sean Baker, starring Mikey Madison, we'll be fuming if the film doesn't get its well-deserved Oscar nod.

If you're thinking this movie is just going to be another version of Pretty Woman, think again. Maybe Julia Roberts walked so Madison could run, but Baker is complicating the fairytale cliches, consulting with Toronto-based Andrea Werhun, a former sex worker and the author of "Modern Whore: A Memoir," to bring a specificity and authenticity to the film, that's been historically lacking.

Mikey Madison in Anora (Elevation Pictures)
Mikey Madison in Anora (Elevation Pictures)

Anora (Madison), who everyone calls "Ani," is an exotic dancer at a New York City club, chatting up men, giving them dances and bringing customers to the lucrative VIP room.

Her boss tells her that there are some expected big spenders in the club, but they wanted a dancer who speaks Russian. A third-generation immigrant, Ani is a bit insecure about her Russian, worried that her accent won't hold up, but she makes her way over to meet Vanya (Mark Eidelshtein), who goes by "Ivan," the son of an oligarch, a f***kboi in his 20s who's more than happy to throw down his dad's money for anything and everything he wants.

Ivan asks Ani if she'd be willing to see him outside of the club, including inviting her to his blowout New Year's Eve bash. But Ivan doesn't want to stop seeing Ani and offers to pay her to be his girlfriend for a week.

Let the debauchery begin: A week of partying, including a trip to Vegas. But as the week comes to an end, with Ivan expected to go back to Russia, he's stuck on the idea that if he marries an American he can stay and party in the U.S. as long as he wants. So Ani and Ivan head to a wedding chapel to get hitched. But Ani quickly learns that Ivan still has to answer to his parents.

When Ivan finds out his parents are on the way to the U.S. to take him back, he bolts, leaving Ani with three goons working for Ivan's parents, Toros (Karren Karagulian), Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov), all four trying to find Ivan together.

Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eidelshtein as Ivan in Anora (NEON)
Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eidelshtein as Ivan in Anora (NEON)

Baker really leans into the manic energy of Anora, it has twists and turns and will make you feel like you have a pit in your stomach waiting to see how things unfold. But that's what's so compelling about it.

There's a propulsive rhythm to the film that keeps you engaged, as the movie shifts from humour to pure heartbreak, it's an emotional rollercoaster that even after multiple viewings will surprise you every single time.

Madison is simply spectacular. She plays Ani as someone who's strong and feisty, but also struggling. Baker's not pretending that her work is easy, but the story also doesn't present Ani as a character that we should just pity. The actor brings such an impressive level of commitment to this role that oozes through the screen, from her look to her accent and the physicality, it's a seamless transformation.

You may anticipate that this going to be a story about a woman who gets burned thinking that a man is going to try to save her, but Ani is never presented as someone's who thinks a man will come and fix all her problems. But her naiveté means she initially doesn't understand just how complicated the situation is.

Baker is constantly keeping you on your toes. When you think a moment of resolution is coming, the story turns in this intoxicating journey.

The movie ends with Ani going back to the world she was in pre-Ivan, with one last moment to have a connection. It's a beautifully complex conclusion that still lingers in our minds.

Anora is an interesting look at power, and the perception of power, when everyone is just trying to survive.