Synopsis.: In Anora, we follow young Anora (Mikey Madison), a sex worker from the Brooklyn region, in the United States. On a seemingly normal night of another day at work, the girl discovers that she may have hit the jackpot, an opportunity to change her destiny: she believes she has found her true love after impulsively marrying the son of an oligarch, the Russian heir Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein). It doesn't take long for the news to spread across Russia and soon their fairy tale is threatened when Ivan's parents arrive on the scene, completely disapproving of the marriage. The story they both built is threatened and the two decide by mutual agreement to end their marriage. But will it be forever?
Modern Hollywood films stick to two types of women: the harassed, loving, loyal housewife, or the budding prostitute. Anora is the film that dedicates a third of its duration to serial sex, in all positions, in all situations, from the front, from the side, in aerial shots, from behind and in the shower. The first thing that occurred to my mind is what task such types of attitudes actresses are expected to do for leading roles.
Anora is variously described as "a comical but devastating Brooklyn odyssey", and a "dark, funny and touching drama", of which it is neither comical nor touching. It's certainly fast and furious, especially the sex sequences, one falling over the other, if you know what I mean. The argumentative scenes are often turbulent and bitter. Unfortunately, we've seen all the slapstick before in other social dramas, even down to the villain's bodyguards falling backwards into a glass coffee table. The soft porn is relentless, the antagonistic Russian (Armenian) versus American players also fighting. I found it predictable, resulting in nothing.
It's not exactly a contemporary retelling of Romeo and Juliet, although in the two main characters it has all the simplistic characteristics of those two self-obsessed and boring Shakespearean teenagers, it just has a family at war fighting their own team to get their son back.
The film is about two cultures (Russian and American), two languages (Russian and English) and two currencies (money and sex). Like countless Hollywood fantasies that have come before it, it tells the story of how two young people from different worlds fall in love, or think they are in love, encounter immediate obstacles, and deal with the consequences in their own eccentric ways. The couple in this case consists of a New York stripper and the reckless son of a Russian oligarch.
The title character (Mikey Madison), who prefers to be called Ani, works at a Manhattan strip club giving lap dances to businessmen and, on what appears to be the luckiest day of her life, a Russian boy named Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), real name Vanya Zakharov. Since Ani knows some Russian, (what a coincidence) her boss sends her to the big spenders' table, where the two hit it off immediately, communicating through an awkward mix of the two languages.
Innocent, sweet and generous – he can afford to be! – his parents are filthy rich – Ivan immediately seems different from Ani's other clients, most of whom are old enough to be her father. Someone says, "You look like my 18-year-old daughter." Just two years older than Ivan, Ani grabs him by the hand, takes him to a private room and takes charge, making Ivan think he is the one giving the orders. This is a common theme for all 138 minutes of a film that passes quickly. At the end of that first night, she sent Ivan home with her number on his iPhone.
After a few one-on-one visits to her apartment, Ani finds herself negotiating the rate for a week of undivided attention. They agree on $15,000, cash up front. Baker isn't shy — but he's also not perverted — about the transactional sex between the two, presenting it without judgment. Neither degrading nor glamorous, she tries to get to know him, while Ivan mostly wants to cum, turning his brain's attention to video games or TV once the sex part is over. Soon Ivan tells Ani that he is in love... and shortly after that he suggests that they get married. Loho then the film moves on to their wedding, they fly to Las Vegas, the wedding chapels are open 24 hours. Ani receives a four-carat stone and a marriage certificate.
From now on the film takes on another aspect, for me at least, it becomes serious and watchable. The parents find out about the wedding, they scream, they send heavyweight friends to rescue Ivan—who immediately disappears into a club and bar in an effort to get drunk—his childish way of avoiding emotional problems—and the parents arrive to give him a spanking. at Ani and tell her that the marriage will be annulled. Ani's dream weddings last an hour.
Anora is a profane and subversive drama, emphasizing the belief that sex work is real work, that it is more central to society than society wants to admit. Well, okay. Sexual desire is powerful, procreation is instinctive, we all know that. But to be frank, the film is really just a bunch of soft porn.
Share your thoughts!
Be the first to start the conversation.