42/23
Plot
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch
Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.. IMDb Editor Arno Kazarian offers up quick takes on 12 movies he screened at the 2024 New York Film Festival, including Anora and the dangerous, curiously erotic Misericordia.. At the Cannes Film Festival press conference, Mikey Madison said that director Sean Baker would act out different sex positions with his wife, producer Samantha Quan, to demonstrate to the actors what he wanted them to do.. In a Vegas scene, a character refers to "McCarran Airport." While the international airport in Las Vegas had been known as McCarran International Airport for many decades, its name was changed to Harry Reid International Airport in late 2021.. Igor: PLEASE! STOP!
Referenced in Close-Up: Anora (2024)
SCREAMING!. A fantastic trailer in front of "Longlegs," and 8.3/10 on IMDb, and a 99% Rotten Tomatoes score. That was all I needed to see the best film of the year, and you should watch it too, with the caveat of going in as blind as possible. I am only describing positives that do not spoil the film, or at the very least, are not part of the plot described on IMDb – that is how dedicated I am to giving you the best possible experience.To start, Mikey Madison is going to won the Best Actress Oscar. That is a stretch to say, but I am calling it! She is fantastic as Anora, the sex worker who marries the child of a Russian oligarch, Ivan.
In "Anora," the ending did not drag at all
The rest of the actors did exceptionally, but Madison made the often comedic and dramatic script, and Anora her own.Sean Baker is the second star of the show. He does not have acting credit for the movie, but Baker is the director and writer. The directing is vibrant and beautiful, specifically when depicting the fairytale-like romance between Anora and Ivan, but not limited to that; again, there are no spoilers here. The writing helps, too; as I already mentioned, it is very comedic and dramatic but also brutally honest and emotional when the film needs it to be.Finally, I appreciate how they utilized the runtime. Despite being 2 hours and 19 minutes, about the same runtime as Mega-flop-olis, "Joker: Folie à Deux," and the instant classic "The Substance," I feel there is no time wasted, and any downtime leaves you interested. For "The Substance," I previously said the ending drags, but I could excuse that.
With "The Substance," I recognized that not everyone would like it
I felt it concluded the story fittingly and perfectly.Overall, I do apologize if I was oddly vague during this review. Knowing next to nothing about this film will enhance the experience in unimaginable ways. In a year filled with all-time classics, such as "Dune: Part Two," "Conclave," "The Substance," and "The Wild Robot," "Anora" stands above the rest by having a unique story, unexpected direction, and the perfect dose of humor and realism. Speaking of "Dune: Part Two," for most of the year, I instinctively knew that it would win the Oscar for Best Picture. After "Conclave" and especially "Anora," I think it has a chance of losing, and I do not mind for once.Technically, Mikey Madison's performance, the spectacular direction, the inventive screenplay, and the entire experience make the technical score a 10/10.For the enjoyment score, I can’t tell who wouldn’t like this. If you are not into a film that revolves around sex, although that is not a tremendous factor in the movie, believe it or not, you may not like it.
10/10 for the enjoyment score!
However, the film fan in me loved it, and the audience fan in me loved it. I strongly recommend you see this, and I hope it wins the Best Picture Oscar!