“When you give me health insurance, workers’ comp and a 401K, then you can tell me when I work.”

Ani

Sean Baker opens Anora with an extended riff on Pretty Woman as New York stripper Ani catches the attention of a Russian oligarch’s son, Ivan, and the pair spend a wild week together. Baker skillfully places the viewer amongst the strippers, explicit visuals paired with a transactional approach to punters in a vibe not dissimilar to Hustlers. Mikey Madison proves a far more engaging lead, however, and the film soars due to her range and captivating presence. Particularly when Ivan sweeps her off to Vegas, Baker avoids the temptation to glamourise depictions of affluent excess by lingering on them, instead deploying a technique of quick cuts that make it feel fleeting and meaningless. Following this romantic tryst, Anora unexpectedly shifts in tone when Ivan’s parents send Armenian heavies to drag their son home — rather than turning dark, however, it instead surprisingly segues into screwball comedy with incompetent goons and a hilariously feral Ani. The back half of the film unfolds over the space of about 24 hours in a search for Ivan and the aftermath, much of the humour derived from the gangsters’ threatening behaviour failing in the face of New York belligerence. Underlying this is the dramatic nuance Madison brings as we can see Ani silently calculating or processing the new details she is learning about Ivan. Impressively, when Baker chooses to revert to drama, he succeeds in delivering a poignant closing that feels earned unlike so many comedies.

9/10