anora

Privet Bestie!

Just flexing my Russian, JK, I googled that. Where can we even start with the semi-epic romance comedy Anora? As you may already know, this movie CLEANED up in the Oscars and according to IMDB, won 147 awards total including BAFTAs, Cannes, and Critics Choice. Mikey Madison absolutely sells this character; it's no wonder why her performance received so much praise. 

More importantly, what actually sold me on Anora, was the fact one of my bestest friends LOVES this movie, which is all I needed to know. 

We’re introduced to Anora, a.k.a. Ani (that’s what she prefers OK?!) in her element at the Brooklyn strip club, HQ, which is dripping vibey deep hues of pink and purple, as some substandard music plays. Don’t blame Ani for this; she shared a playlist with the DJ who was not only RUDE but also DISMISSIVE, #justicefortheAniplaylist. Ani is swinging around her long brown hair adorned with hair tinsel, out here hustling old dads out of their money. Whatever happened to hair tinsel?! Did it just stop being cool, or am I not hanging out with enough people with hair tinsel? Anyways! Ani is interrupted mid- salad bite and is told she has to entertain a customer looking for a Russian-speaking dancer. At first, she’s reluctant, as I would be, a girl's gotta eat! But this dude is apparently a high roller, and she hears that and says, hold my fork.  We then meet Ivan (government name: Vanya). He’s young, earnest, the son of a Russian oligarch, normal stuff, we all know a guy like this! At first, Ani is cautious; however, her chemistry with Ivan is clear, and she lets herself genuinely fall for him.  Fast-forward through their whirlwind romance, which comes to a SCREECHING halt after word gets back to Russia that cha boi got hitched babyyyy! Tied the knot in the most romantic place on earth, Las Vegas! 

Not long after, the goons arrive, since Ivan’s family is the kind of wealthy who have hired goons on retainer. The B-team shows up to Ivan’s... I mean his parents' mega mansion: the eager Gamik, and the clearly hired mere moments before his arrival, Igor. Ivan refuses to let them in, but the gag is they already have a key! Ivan’s parents want proof of this union, and when they get it, oh MAMA, chaos ensues. Ivan abandons Ani at this point, literally fleeing on foot. I imagine every woman who saw this scene had a pit in their stomach, fearful of what was to unfold when Ani is left alone, in this giant home, with two strange men. Don’t forget though, this is tough ass Ani with the bad-ass Staten Island accent we’re talking about! For the first time, we witness the extent of Ani’s physical and emotional strength (that we already had a feeling was in her). She beats the pulp out of these clowns, similar to the state the Powerpuff Girls would leave Mojo Jojo in. 

Without knowing much of her past, we as an audience can tell this is a woman who is used to being underestimated, which is ultimately her biggest advantage. Despite being tied up and physically assaulted, the wise, but lovestruck Ani holds out some bit of hope that things will still work out with Ivan. As this faith in Ivan slowly dissipates, so does the dreamy, rosy, idyllic palette of the movie. Reality sets in and Ani’s world turns paler, more monotone. The final goon, the family’s right hand, and Gamik’s wildly more capable brother, Toros, finally arrives to fully pop any semblance of left of that bubble. Toros tells Ani she and Ivan are getting an annulment, and she’ll get an insulting payout for all the trouble…That is once they find him.

Ani, Toros, Gamik, and Igor all set out to find Ivan, going to all his likely hangouts. MORE chaos ensues, Toros drives his car OFF a tow truck, a candy store is torn UP, Gamik, who’s hilariously concussed, barfs all over the car like a drunk frat boy in an Uber. The bessstttt needle drop of the movie comes when we find Ivan entering HQ, and t.A.T.u.’s “All the Things She Said” plays. The ragtag gang finally deduces where Ivan is, only to find this boy GETTING A LAPPER FROM ANI’S WORK NEMESIS, Diamond!! Even though Ivan ditched Ani,  dodged her calls, and refused to stand up or protect her at ANY POINT, this lap dance from Diamond somehow feels the most hurtful. The realest part of this movie is when all the women left their lap dances to watch Ani and Diamond brawl. That’s a universal experience, no matter where you work, if a fight breaks out, everyone’s dropping everything to witness said fight. 

We don’t actually meet Ivan’s parents until nearly 2 hours into this 2-hour 19-minute movie, which seems intentional. The absence of their presence for most of the movie feels representative of the lack of involvement they have in their son’s life. Mrs. Oligarch is icy and dismissive (but kind of in a way that made me low-key be like “Ok diva!”), and Mr. Oligarch is removed and wholly unremarkable. Before they board the plane to Sin City for the annulment, Ivan has his most callous moment when Ani asks if they’re really breaking up and he tells her, “Of course, are you stupid?” Her face falls. I wanted to drown him.. To Ani, Ivan was her potential future and ticket to an easier life, but to Ivan, Ani was just a fun time, whom he had no real intentions of truly loving.

My biggest takeaway here was how Mikey Madison’s performance makes you want to stay in her world a little longer. Especially considering the ending is pretty open-ended. I won’t spoil it, since director and writer Sean Baker has said in several interviews he wants audiences to write their own ending (And such is life! Aren’t we just all writing our endings?) But I’ll leave you with my take. I believe the ending is a release, Ani can finally let everything out after being hit with a whiplash of emotions she couldn’t fully express. Ani is changed from the events of the movie, but not in a dramatic way. She is just on to another season of life. Ivan was never meant to be the prince charming to her Cinderella, and that’s ok, because she doesn’t need him, and never really did. Ani is a survivor and is just picking up the pieces. Infinitely relatable. 

Anora is now available to stream on Hulu.