Anora (2024)
Director: Sean Baker
Screenwriter: Sean Baker
Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Kragulian, Vache Tovmaysan
When Sean Baker’s Anora unexpectedly won the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the announcement sparked widespread applause. The film’s victory surprised many festivalgoers who had expected other contenders to prevail, but Anora had already captured attention and affection during its Cannes screenings. The award places the film among the select works that have received cinema’s highest festival honor and marks a rare Palme d’Or for an American director in recent years.
Anora opens in a nightclub where the title character, Anora—called Ani for much of the film—works as a stripper. Ani’s Uzbek-American heritage and fluent Russian connect her to a circle of wealthy Russian-speaking patrons. One of them, Vanya, the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch, becomes romantically involved with her while on holiday in the United States. Their relationship is fueled by lavish gifts, parties and easy access to money and drugs. The pair elope, and what feels like a fairy-tale turn of fortune soon sparks conflict when word of their marriage reaches back to Russia. Vanya’s parents intervene, enlisting associates to challenge the union and seek an annulment. With a budget comparable to Baker’s previous feature Red Rocket but an expanded scope, Anora remains a character-driven piece marked by brisk pacing and strong thematic ambition.
As in Baker’s earlier films, Anora treats its sex-worker characters with empathy. The movie does not sensationalize or condemn their work; instead, it humanizes their experiences and highlights the stigma they face. At its core, Anora interrogates the fragility of the so-called American dream. Ani appears to have risen from nothing to a position of privilege through her marriage, but the film underscores how precarious that status is for someone without established wealth or social pedigree. Ani’s ascent is constantly at risk of reversal, and the story compassionately shows how judgment, prejudice and social exclusion can strip away newfound security.
The film’s success rests heavily on performance, and Mikey Madison delivers a powerful lead turn. After supporting work in other high-profile films, Madison commands the screen here; her portrayal is both intimate and forceful, anchoring the film’s emotional tenor. The ensemble cast supports her effectively, creating multi-layered characters whose interactions often reveal cultural and class tensions. Madison’s Ani is magnetic—nuanced and vulnerable—and she consistently dominates the scenes she inhabits, making the role a clear star-making opportunity.
The film’s second half elevates the momentum, particularly after the three men enlisted to annul the marriage arrive. Their presence raises the stakes, transforming the story into a taut, sometimes tense drama that is difficult to look away from. Baker’s direction creates an immersive world through composed cinematography and carefully staged interiors and exteriors; each frame invites the viewer deeper into Ani’s life. While the second act accelerates the narrative, some plot developments follow predictable patterns. Though beautifully shot and often wryly funny, certain narrative turns do not subvert expectations in the way some previous Palme winners have.
Anora is not without shortcomings. Several narrative threads are left underexplored—Ani’s sexual identity and her struggles with intimacy and vulnerability receive less attention than they deserve. The film too often frames Ani primarily through her role as a sex worker, rather than fully developing other dimensions of her identity. A more expansive treatment of intimate relationships beyond transactional encounters might have deepened her character and broadened the film’s emotional range. Similarly, some supporting figures could have benefited from fuller backstories; while the focus on Ani is intentional and effective, richer portrayals of secondary characters would have added texture to the film’s social landscape.
Still, the film’s strengths are substantial. Anora combines a commanding central performance with polished cinematography and a clear directorial point of view. Its humanistic approach to stigmatized work and its examination of class, culture and mobility in contemporary America make it an engaging, often moving watch. Whether or not viewers agree with the Cannes jury’s choice, the film’s open-minded portrayal of an often-maligned profession and its focus on empathy give it cultural relevance beyond awards season.
In a year when the Cannes jury was chaired by an American filmmaker known for her distinct perspective, awarding the Palme d’Or to another American director with a story rooted in contemporary U.S. social concerns felt resonant. Anora’s willingness to approach its characters without moralizing, paired with Baker’s consistent filmmaking voice, helps secure its place as a notable entry in his body of work—even if it may not be his absolute best. It remains recognizably a Sean Baker film: earnest, character-focused and alert to the uneven promises of the American dream.
Score: 20/24
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.