Anora

by Maria Quiroga

Is Anora worth the hype? The Neon film, directed by Sean Baker, was by far the biggest taker of this year’s Oscars, with Best Leading Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Picture overall.

After giving the film a try for the first time after the award season’s conclusion, my expectations were high. I remember being enthralled by the trailer, promising adventure, beautiful scenery, and unapologetic sexuality.

First and foremost, after seeing the film, I had a sinking feeling of sympathy and connection with the main character, Ani, a self-proclaimed exotic dancer with a heart of gold. She thrived in the environment she was in, despite its connotations and reputation, and overall, she exuded an infectious positivity.

I was enthralled by the friendships and rivalries she had with her coworkers, and the movie did an excellent job of portraying this through a sort of fly-on-the-wall perspective, following Ani throughout her workday. Her presence in the film was completely infectious.

Then she meets the love interest quickly in the film. She falls in love, and you, the watcher, fall in love along with her, not with the man, but the experience, the sights, and the fun. With the new people she meets and these small pockets of intimacy and fun, they experience.

These friends, Ani included, are accepted among the elite and rich; they are mixed amongst one another, saying something about class inequality through how working-class people experience these things that the rich view as mundane. Now Ani, someone who works for what little she has, can be rewarded in life and abundance.

However, when the movie shifts, the rug has been pulled from under us. I won’t spoil the movie, as it deserves a full blind viewing, but the ending leaves the audience with anticipation for what’s next for Ani.

How will she move forward beyond what happened throughout the film? My opinion lies in the camp that Ani has yet to live the rest of her life, and this was but a chapter in a long and adventure-filled story.

And as for the Academy Awards—all of which were well deserved—Mikey Madison, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress, who had never previously starred, embodied the character of Anora. And the movie is so original and unapologetic about itself; it is a film at its full potential.

And it certainly deserves a watch, at least for the wonderful acting.