Carefully Crafted
Anora (Neon, 2024)
When an actor really takes care of their character, it makes all the difference.
I saw Anora in the theaters with my bff and her fiancé. We all really enjoyed the film because of its mixture of drama and comedy, as well as the plotline. Did I think at the time that it would be nominated for prestigious American and European film awards? Not really, but only because those types of awards classically don’t go towards movies like this. When I say movies like this, I mean movies that are centered around young people making wild decisions in a contemporary setting.
The character of Anora, who goes by “Ani”, was played by Mikey Madison. She was so tremendous in this role! Her character must be sweet and charming, sexy and cute, as well as tough as nails. It’s clear to see that Madison put her heart and soul into this character, and she took the time to really flesh out who Ani was. Madison immersed herself in the world of an exotic dancer from Brighton Beach, New York to really understand her.
She hung out in strip clubs getting to know the dancers, she learned how to pole dance, she put on a thick Brooklyn accent, she learned Russian, and essentially became that young girl from the movie. She plays the role of Ani with love for her, and respect for what she must do in order to survive. She shows how swept up someone can get in a world they know nothing about, a world of outlandish wealth and even more outlandish behavior, a world where Ani clearly didn’t belong, and a world that ultimately rejected her.
I will say that my only complaint has to do with the ending. Throughout the film, Ani earns the respect and admiration of Igor, played by Yura Borisov, a man that was brought in to try and help the situation when Ani’s immature husband, Vanya, runs from his reckless decision.
Spoilers, but as Ani’s fairytale turned devastating joyride comes to an end, and Igor is dropping her back off at her tiny apartment, she decides to fuck him in the car, but ends up breaking down after 48 hours of pure chaos. In my mind, I thought it was a cheap way to end the movie and leave the character.
Instead of having sex, it would have made sense for Igor to try and kiss Ani and her have the same reaction, because while they were having sex, that’s what he tries to do that makes her break down. Maybe it was the intimacy of the kiss that made her freak out because Igor was never after her body or after her for sex, maybe it was that she saw her dreams crashing around her after Ivan nonchalantly broke her heart and her spirit, but the sex aspect wasn’t necessary to show that.
Mikey Madison won the Oscar for Best Actress, and the film also took the trophy for Best Picture. It was revealed that the studio spent almost triple the amount they used to make the film to promote it amongst Oscar voters. I can’t definitively say that the film should have won those two prestigious awards because I didn’t see many of the other films it was up against. Knowing that the studio spent that much money during awards season does seem kind of questionable, but I don’t think it takes away from the film nor the performances.
After watching it for a second time at home, I can see why Madison and the film won big this awards season. My only hope is that Madison, as well as her costars, who were all remarkable, will get to continue to grace the silver screen in the near future.