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Anora (film)

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Anora
Release poster
Directed bySean Baker
Written bySean Baker
Produced by
  • Alex Coco
  • Samantha Quan
  • Sean Baker
Starring
CinematographyDrew Daniels
Edited bySean Baker
Music byMatthew Hearon-Smith
Production
companies
Distributed byNeon
Release dates
  • May 21, 2024 (2024-05-21) (Cannes)
  • October 18, 2024 (2024-10-18) (United States)
Running time
139 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Russian[2]

Anora is a 2024 American comedy-drama film written, directed and edited by Sean Baker. It stars Mikey Madison in the title role of an exotic dancer and follows her beleaguered romance with the son of a Russian oligarch. It also stars Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov.

The film premiered on May 21, 2024, in competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or, the first American film to do so since The Tree of Life in 2011. It is scheduled to be released on October 18, 2024, by Neon.

Premise

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Ani is a young Uzbek-American[3][4][5][6] stripper from Brighton Beach, a Russophone enclave in New York City. As she is somewhat conversant in Russian, her boss fixes her up with Russian-speaking clients. After meeting Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch, a romance kindles that, in addition to his desire to avoid deportation, leads to their elopement. Their fairytale marriage is threatened when Vanya's parents travel to New York intending to force an annulment.

Cast

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Production

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Principal photography took place at the beginning of 2023 in Brooklyn, New York.[8]

For Anora, Baker has stated that his intentions were towards "telling human stories, by telling stories that are hopefully universal [...] It's helping remove the stigma that's been applied to [sex work], that's always been applied to this livelihood."[9]

At a press conference in Cannes, Mikey Madison stated that Baker and producer Samantha Quan, who is Baker's wife, would act out different sex positions to demonstrate what they wanted the actors to do. Madison was offered an intimacy coordinator but said, "As I'd already created a really comfortable relationship with both of them for about a year, I felt that that would be where I was most comfortable with and it ended up working so perfectly."[9]

Release

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Worldwide distribution rights were acquired by FilmNation Entertainment in October 2023. The film was then sold by FilmNation to Le Pacte for France, Lev for Israel, Kismet for Australia and New Zealand, and Focus Features/Universal Pictures International for the rest of the world excluding North America in deals similar to those made on Baker's previous film, Red Rocket.[8] In November 2023, Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film,[10] and is scheduled to open it in a limited release on October 18, 2024.[11][12]

Anora premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024,[13][14] and won the festival's Palme d'Or on May 25.[15] It earned a 10-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.[16] It became the fifth consecutive Palme d'Or winner distributed by Neon in the United States; previous winners include Parasite, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Anatomy of a Fall, also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.[17] It is also the first American film to win the Palme d'Or since 2011's The Tree of Life.[18]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.7/10.[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 89 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20]

Greta Gerwig, serving as the president of the 77th Cannes Film Festival Jury, commented that "[Anora] was something we collectively felt we were transported by, we were moved by [...] It felt both new and in conversation with older forms of cinema. There was something about it that reminded us of [the] classic structures of [Ernst] Lubitsch or Howard Hawks, and then it did something completely truthful and unexpected."[21]

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair wrote, "[Anora is] a wild, profane blast [...] Even when Baker's storytelling and dialogue gets repetitive, Madison keeps things lively [...] I found myself torn between finding Baker's conclusions compassionate and sensing a vague whiff of something patronizing. [...] Baker's explorations of outsiders tend to tread between graciousness and gawking, benevolent anthropology and the more malevolent, missionary kind."[22]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival May 25, 2024 Palme d'Or Sean Baker Won [23]

References

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  1. ^ Ruimy, Jordan (May 4, 2024). "Plot Details for Sean Baker's 'Anora,' Clocks in at 2 Hours 19 Minutes". World of Reel. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "62nd New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced". Film at Lincoln Center. August 6, 2024.
  3. ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (May 21, 2024). "Cannes 2024: Anora, Limonov, Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, Lula". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (May 22, 2024). "Review: Anora Is a Glorious Strip-Club Fairytale with a Generous Spirit". Time. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (May 21, 2024). "Anora review – stellar turn from Mikey Madison in sex work non-love story". The Guardian. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Rooney, David (May 21, 2024). "'Anora' Review: Mikey Madison is a Delightfully Scrappy Force in Sean Baker's Cracked Cinderella Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Canfield, David (May 23, 2024). "The "Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity" of Cannes Darling Anora". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Lang, Brent (October 25, 2023). "'Red Rocket' Director Sean Baker and FilmNation Entertainment Reteam on 'Anora' With Mikey Madison Starring (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Ritman, Alex; Shafer, Ellise (May 22, 2024). "Sean Baker Makes Movies About Sex Workers in Hopes of 'Helping Remove the Stigma' — and He's 'Already Talking About the Next One'". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  10. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 2, 2023). "Sean Baker Pic 'Anora' Acquired By Neon For North America". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Lang, Brent (June 4, 2024). "Sean Baker's Palme d'Or Winner 'Anora' Scores Fall Release Date From Neon (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  12. ^ Grobar, Matt (July 15, 2024). "'Anora' Trailer: Mikey Madison's Stripper Falls For Son Of Russian Oligarch In Neon's Palme D'Or Winner From Sean Baker". Deadline. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Ntim, Zac (April 11, 2024). "Cannes Film Festival Lineup Set: Competition Includes Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino & Abbasi's Trump Movie — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (May 25, 2024). "Sean Baker's 'Anora' wins Palme d'Or at 2024 Cannes Film Festival". Screen International. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Hipes, Patrick; Ntim, Zac (May 21, 2024). "Sean Baker's 'Anora' Gets 10-Minute Ovation In Cannes Film Festival World Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 25, 2024). "Fantastic Five! Neon Makes It Five Palme d'Or Winners In A Row As 'Anora' Scoops Cannes Top Prize". Deadline. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Rothkopf, Joshua (May 25, 2024). "Sean Baker's 'Anora' wins Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  19. ^ "Anora". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 26, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  20. ^ "Anora". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  21. ^ Sciences, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and. "Sean Baker's 'Anora' Wins Palme d'Or at 2024 Cannes Film Festival: See the Full Winners List". A.frame. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  22. ^ Lawson, Richard (May 21, 2024). "'Anora' Is a Raucous Good Time With a Gut-Punch of an Ending". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Murray, Miranda (May 25, 2024). Merriman, Jane (ed.). "Exotic dancer drama 'Anora' wins Cannes Film Festival's top prize". Reuters. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
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