The 97th Academy Awards decided to give Best Picture to Anora, and in my opinion, the movie really deserved it. While many people have drawn comparisons between Anora and Pretty Woman, it couldn’t be more different aside from the similar base premise. After the first forty minutes, Anora quickly diverges from a bold romance, detailing the life of a sex worker who is introduced to a life of luxury, to a dark comedy and drama that at times is reminiscent of the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and 40s.
Mikey Madison stars as Anora, a young sex worker living in Brooklyn who falls in love with the wealthy son of a Russian Oligarch named Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn). After they impulsively marry in Las Vegas, Anora couldn’t be happier with her new life, however this quickly changes once the reality of her situation sets in. Once Vanya’s parents hear of him marrying a prostitute, they try to do everything in their power to get the marriage annulled.
The director Sean Baker ended up winning four Oscars for editing, original screenplay, directing, and for producing the movie, and when you watch this film, it is easy to see why. While this isn’t the first time Baker has made a movie about the life of a sex worker, it has been the most acclaimed. Especially now, in a time where sequels and reboots are constantly churned out by large studios, it’s refreshing to see an independent filmmaker gaining so much recognition for his work, and hopefully his future projects gain more awareness as a result.
Mikey Madison won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which she really deserved for such a stellar performance as the titular character. While some argue that the award should have gone to Demi Moore for The Substance instead, Mikey Madison deserved it for how much she put into this role. According to an article by L’Officiel, Madison learned how to adopt a Brooklyn accent, pole dancing, and even learned Russian for the role.
In conclusion, Anora is a great film that definitely deserved its multiple wins at the Oscars, and if you were thinking about watching this, you should give it a shot.
