“Anora” A Bold, Sometimes Emotional Film

With the Spring Film Festival just around the corner, I wanted to take a look at a couple independent features. One of those features is the award-winning film “Anora,” which was also shown during the Winter Film Festival a couple months ago.

During its theatrical run, “Anora” received numerous accolades. The film was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the AFI. It also received six nominations at the Oscars, winning five for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

Ani is a young woman from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya, the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire.

However, when Vanya’s parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York.

“Anora” delivers a Cinderella story of sorts and gets flipped upside down halfway through the film. The film also delivers a great performance from now Oscar winner Mikey Madison.

This 2024 film can go beyond the surface of a modern Cinderella story that ultimately becomes more profound and surprisingly deeply impactful during some scenes. The first half of the film can be quite energetic as we see Ani (Anora) go through her life at the club and eventually meets Vanya. And, with how much money Vanya is blowing during the first half of the film, it can sometimes make you wonder how much money does his kid have access to.

After they have their fun little marriage is where this little fun love story takes a rather drastic turn as the kid’s parents (who are beyond rich) want this marriage annulled as quickly as possible. The second half of the film has a complete change of tone as it focuses on the consequences of some of their actions and we see how Vanya actually see what their marriage is.

Also during the second half is where Mikey Madison’s performance really shines and can actually be rather emotional. There are a few moments in the latter portion of the film where Madison shows us that her Oscar winning performance was really deserved. “Anora” also has a bit of humor throughout, especially when the rich family’s henchmen are trying to get this marriage ended.

Overall, “Anora” does a decent job blending social realism, screwball-like comedy (mainly from the henchmen characters) and a slight touch of a fairy tale fantasy. The film can be quite bold and thought-provoking at times, and, honestly, I didn't see “Anora” winning Best Picture at this year’s Oscars.

Trivia: Director Sean Baker cast Mikey Madison after seeing her Quentin Tarantino's “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” and the 2022 sequel “Scream.” In November 2023, Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film.

MPA: Rated R for strong sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, pervasive language, and drug use   (running time 139 minutes)

You can currently stream the award-winning film “Anora” on Hulu or rent it on various PVOD services.