After 13 years, American cinema took the throne at Cannes. Anora – director Sean Baker's story about a stripper married to a Russian oligarch creates a big surprise when it comes to passing The Seed of the Sacred Fig (directed by Mohammad Rasoulof), won the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
The movie Anora about strippers by American director Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
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Anora – Mikey Madison's poetic yet painful portrait and groundbreaking performance
Anora belongs to the comedy genre, compared by the director to a modern-day version of Cinderella Pretty Woman Disney style. Like countless Hollywood films before it, it tells the story of young people from opposite worlds falling in love, encountering immediate obstacles and dealing with the consequences – in this case prostitute Ani (Mikey Madison). in New York and Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) – the reckless young master of a Russian oligarch. Ani's fairy tale is short-lived when the tycoon's parents find out and try to annul their marriage.
The film explores the intersections of class, love and identity, set against the vibrant and harsh backdrop of urban life.
Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan (left) and Mikey Madison as Ani. Photo: Twitter.
With a duration of 2 hours and 19 minutes, two young people living in completely different classes meet and develop feelings through Ani's hot dance. It all started when Ivan paid Ani $15,000 to be his sexual partner for a week.
Ivan is sweet to Ani, using money to bring joy to his girlfriend. Ani is smarter and more practical than her rich boyfriend, but she cannot escape being immersed in thoughts of a luxurious life.
Constantly thinking about the prospect of her and Ivan getting married, Ani wondered what her future in-laws would think when they discovered that the heir to their fortune had married a prostitute. She even thought about the situation when Ivan's family sent his subordinates to chase her out of the house, and she didn't expect anything because of her boyfriend's weakness.
In the second half of the movie, the plot moves to its climax, Ani has to deal with the subordinates sent by her “father-in-law”. In fact, the thugs are all kind, they have pledged allegiance to Ivan's father to support their family back home. In the end, Ani and her captors became connected, because they were also victims of being manipulated by the rich.
The acting of female lead Mikey Madison is highly appreciated for fully capturing the character's personality. Sheet Collider said Madison showed the complex class gap right in Ani's every dance step. To be able to survive in the work environment, Ani hides her fears and shortcomings and presents herself with a confident appearance.
Film critic sheet Telegraph affirmed that Mikey Madison will definitely become a star thanks to his role in Anora. Meanwhile, IndieWire thinks the actress delivers the best performance of all time in the over-the-top comedy.
Positive reviews from experts
After the premiere at the Palais de Festivals, the work received a 10-minute applause. Previously, director Sean Baker was very skilled with stories about class and community, imbued with cinematic language and humanity, most recently The Florida Project (2017) et Red Rocket (2021).
Cannes jury president – Greta Gerwig – evaluated Anora is a special, humane film that captured the hearts of the audience, making people go through many levels of emotions, from laughter, hope and then breaking the viewers' hearts.
Receiving the award on the Cannes stage, Sean Baker said: “I really don't know what's going on right now. I want to dedicate this award to people working in the sex industry around the world, both past, present and future”.
On the specialized page Rotten Tomatoes , the film received 97% fresh score. Many positive reviews about the plot as well as the cast's acting. Robbie Collin – London Film Critics Association – points out each role in Anora it may be a nightmare, but they all know how to have fun, the cast understands the characters down to the smallest behavior.
Writer David Rooney – New York Film Critics Association – commented that the director skillfully incorporated questions about class, privilege and the division between rich and poor. Sean Baker continues to assert his forte as a chronicler of extremely small situations in American society.
Many reviews say that Anora is the best work of Baker's career to date. A sad and beautiful movie. The ending in the movie is not only bright, funny, always full of energy, but also heartbreaking. Sarah Manvel – author of the book You Ruin It When You Talk – praise Anora is the best American film of this decade.
Sheet Collider commented that Sean Baker's brainchild is a painfully poetic portrait of modern exploitation, shocking and searing with a breakthrough performance from female lead Mikey Madison. “Sean Baker builds everything naturally, creating the feeling that everything is too perfect to be true before being completely defeated” – Collider write. Meanwhile Indiewire give an A when evaluating the work.
Deadlines said the nude scene will certainly be controversial, but it will be especially interesting to see what audiences think of the film's heartbreaking ending. “Ani's facade of confidence is shattered and we see the emotional cost, being abused by men for a living and the pain of their love being taken advantage of.”
First images of Anora. Video: Twitter.
