A Sex Worker Finds Her Cinderella Story in "Anora"

Title: Anora Director: Sean Baker Starring: Mikey Madison Studio: NEON Genre(s): Romance/Comedy Rated: R (For strong sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, pervasive language, and drug use)

Sean Baker’s “Anora” is both a Cinderella story and a tragedy at the same time. It follows the life of a sex worker in a way that is unconventional in that sex work is looked at in a positive light. While I’m sure there are some readers who may disagree with that outlook, it is never-the-less one that is rarely represented in film often, nor is it handled with such class as it is here. The sex worker in question is Anora (Mikey Madison), who prefers to go by the nickname ‘Ani.’ She is a stripper by night and a call girl by day. Her life is neither luxurious nor easy, but she goes to work with a smile that makes her instantly lovable.

One day she hits the jackpot by meeting a young man who is the son of a wealthy Russian family. Not only does he pay handsomely for Ani to be “exclusive” his for a week (I’ll let the parents explain that one to younger readers) he is looking for a wife so that he can get a green card and not return home to work for his indifferent father. Ani is thrilled with his proposal: marry a young good-looking man who has access to money? Who wouldn’t want to sign up for a deal like that (it doesn’t hurt that he’s charming)? The problem is, that his parents aren’t exactly thrilled, and when the wedding is discovered, all hell breaks loose.

The audience – which at this point was treated to lots of sex and funny moments – is thrust into a family drama unlike any other, in which powerful people look down on Ani and what she does. They don’t see a human being so much as they see a slut who is taking advantage of their son for their money (never mind that the son married her because he thought it would be a funny way to piss his parents off). While the movie could make the uncle of her (legally recognized) husband a monster, it is careful not to paint the family as being irrational in their anger.

The truth of the matter is that the marriage looks suspicious on the surface, and as the situation drags out Ani’s husband begins to look like the spoiled brat he may actually be. One of the standout characters is Igor (Yura Karagulian), a bouncer of sorts who uses brute force when his powerful employers command him but seems troubled by how the situation is playing out in front of him. Again, he has a job that most of us would frown upon, but Baker is careful not to make these people villains so much as they are complicated humans who are involved in an impossible situation.

Like the Cinderella fairy tale, though it begins as pure bliss, the ball must soon come to an end, and “Anora” follows its cast through two storms of happiness and tragedy. Mikey Madison is especially great here, and she creates a star-making performance that hasn’t been seen since Brie Larson burst onto the scene. This woman has a lot of award nominations coming her way and a great future in the film industry. “Anora,” meanwhile, can rest knowing that it is one of the year's best films and a more exciting roller coaster than any Marvel superhero film has delivered in years.