Anora: what makes it a true film to remember

When I first saw the trailer for Anora, I instantly knew it was going to be a box office success. Directed by Sean Baker, and one of the first ever to break history winning four academy awards. I remember when sitting down to watch the movie, from the opening scene it was very risqué. When first seeing the protagonist Anora, her character automatically pulls you in. Her raw attitude and quick witted humor and bravado matched just that of her character of a New Yorker, and not only is she from “The big apple” she is from Brooklyn, living in Coney Island. Coney Island has a very large community of Europeans, specifically Russians and Jewish, so the glimpses of the d train stopping in Brighton Beach are very familiar or many of the scenes the actors walking on the iconic boardwalk or entering one of the many treat shops that you see as a child filled with shelves and cases of colorful lollipops, candy and where you can get, in my opinion one of the best funnel Cakes. So from these scenes showing us New York and where she lives.

The start of the film and lore over the entire plot is of the exotic dancing industry, which Anora or as she goes by during her shift “Annie”. From the conversations with customers, to the long hours and some form of criticism, harassment, sexual

Innuendos they face working in this position. Then seeing personal conversations she has with her friend Lulu highlights the deragatory and odd situations their faced with and not to mention the danger themselves they face. It is the segregation and societal pressures and discrimination they face as assumptions and judgments that commonly occur. As she works in this field, you see a background of her home life living with her sister and no parents around, leads to the fact that she has to fend for herself and with that type of responsibility of needing to survive can lead to such choices of fast money, in a way she only sees easy and accessible as exotic dancing. When Ivan comes into the club looking for a “Russian speaker” her whole life gets flipped upside down. Ivan is considered a “high roller” or a client with a big amount of cash to spend. When he takes a liking to her and offers to pay her an extensive amount of cash for a deal to be his girlfriend for a week, and during their outrageous and lavish outings, he reveals to her that he is here on a school visa where he would have to return to Russia. He jokes that he can marry someone and stay in America. When he jokes with Anora to marry him, it’s evident that it’s not a joke to her as he is not understanding the decision he is about to make. They have a shotgun wedding in Vegas and Anora moves in with Ivan to start their lives together. As pristine as it looks, the reality of the situation is soon revealed. When the affiliates of whom Ivan’s parents hired to watch over him, catch wind of what he has done soon his parents’ bodyguards come looking for Ivan and tell him he has to anul the marriage and they inform him of the divorce and how his parents are coming to New York to take him home. This when the actual situation presents itself to Anora and and everything is not as it seems. Thrown into a full fledge chase for him around Brooklyn on the boardwalk and all over to different restaurants in Coney Island. Anora sees just how much Ivan has deceived her about where he is not the adult and in charge of his life as he seems to be. To Anora who really cared for Ivan and took the marriage seriously, and a way out of the life she was thrown into this was just a whim or another quick scheme Ivan had done. Showing just how immature and impulsive Ivan was in his life and decisions, where as he mentions earlier in the movie that she was very mature and indeed she was because she was cautious and attentive to what was going on in her life. As the movie escalates and the intensity of the plot thickens , and when finally meeting the parents of Ivan not only sees how truly adolescent he is and never really cared for her, but how much his parents truly do control him. Just how much they abuse their power and wealth to exploit, take advantage and get what they want and dispose of it when it’s served its purpose. Truly sheds light they are from two different worlds and sees they will in the end not work out. In a greater sense Anora had more strength and courage and is more true to herself than Ivan or his parents will ever be. As well, another subject it touches on at the end of the movie is the search to feel loved and appreciated which is a major issue for many young women. Especially in the movie when Anora is left abandoned and forced to return to the life that she is truly not happy with and back to original state she is truly left feeling empty and which is why she looks to Igor, for companionship. Truly shows how similar and certain events that have taken place in their life they can relate to one another form a care for one another. With all these themes and event, along with the actors it truly is one of the best movies and deserves all the recognition it has received.