User reviews

I don't understand at all how this got 5 Oscar's this year. I'm watching for the first time as it has now hit streaming and I was left very confused. It was slow in the first half, picked up a little in the second and then the last half went back to being slow. A lot of scenes were super drawn out, there was no need for the film to be as long as it was. We got absolutely no back story on Anora at all which is what I was waiting for. Don't get me wrong, Mikey Madison isn't a bad actress but I was waiting for more. For the most part she just cursed, showed her body and screamed a lot. I didn't really see a performance worth best actress, even though her performance wasn't terrible. The script also wasn't that good, there were a lot of pieces that were overly repetitive and the characters were pretty much one dimensional. I guess the audience is left to use our imagination but I wish we were given more for the runtime.

Sorry the movie is predictable and also not really well made as some parts are too long without giving anything more while others are too short and should be more investigated. The only positive thing of the whole 2 hours that the predictable and poorly directed and acted movie is the main actress that is the only reason I made till the end. The car scenes at the end of the movie is the only really scene of the whole thing.

I don't understand how this movie won 5 oscars... probably the level is so low nowadays that you can win big also without this kind of film... This movie won best original screenplay instead of real pain....no idea what they smoked before voting.

This movie represented so many complex layers. The most evident to me was the stark contrast in what a "child/boy" looks like, versus what a "real man" worthy of respect looks like. The differences are glaring.

Another layer is Anora. In her world of gritty survival and hustling to make ends meet, she's learned to use the only thing she believes the world values her for- her body. She spends a lifetime hiding vulnerability and her true self. She protects her heart by wearing armor disguised as insults, defensiveness, coldness, and shallowness.

She believes a wealthy man will fill the emptiness in her heart and erase her problems. She soon realizes that wealth does not make a man worthy of love and respect. Strength, kindness, safety, and understanding make a real man. When Anora finally recognizes she's safe, the walls come crashing down.

I just watched one of the best films of the year. The Athens festival nights have kicked off, and at the opening ceremony, we were lucky enough to catch Anora. And let me tell you, this film absolutely slays. From the very first scene, you're glued to the screen, and that feeling just doesn't let up. As the movie went on, I kept thinking, "Come on, it has to slow down at some point, right? Give us a breather." Nope, no breaks, no dips, not even a hint of slowdown. Anora has one of the best paces I've ever experienced in a movie.

Anora, a sex worker and a tough girl from Brooklyn, meets the son of a Russian oligarch and, in a whirlwind of madness, marries him. But her fairytale quickly turns into a nightmare when the news reaches Russia, and his parents do everything they can to annul their marriage. The lead actress, Mikey Madison, who plays Anora, is an absolute revelation. She effortlessly combines sexiness, femininity, childlike innocence, and toughness in a way that leaves you speechless. She's going to go very, very far, and don't be surprised if you see her nominated for an Oscar. Personally, I'd also give a Best Supporting Actor nomination to Mark Eidelshtein, who plays the Russian son. He's the most entertaining thing I've seen in a long time. Fantastic.

Anora is a punch to the face of the traditional fairytale concept. It's a realistic, violent, raw, funny, and ultimately sweet modern Cinderella story. Only, in the real world, no prince is going to come and save you-you've got to pick up the pieces and lift your head up high yourself.

How does a movie with no dialog win an Oscar?? Can someone explain that to me?! Saying a bunch of curse words for 2 hours does not constitute a dialog. The "couple" has zero chemistry so how are we expected to believe that she loved him?? Nothing happened between them for her to fall in love. They go on a vegas trip, spend a bunch of money, and that's it? That's how you fall in love with someone?! Hey writers, I got news for you - it doesn't work that way. It takes more than that! The russian actor was good and yes, the final scene made a lot of sense even though it was predictable as hell. The scenes where they're looking for the guy were soooooo drawn out and pointless. Why would you do that?!

If there was ever any doubt that the Academy was corrupt, after this movie, there is no doubt anymore. It's obvious that the Oscars are won with money, not talent. This movie winning 5 Oscars is undeniable proof of that.

This movie is about a traumatized and abused child who grows up and perpetuates the cycle of abuse by choosing to work in a strip club. It tells the story of a strong woman who is broken inside and has not healed. The question she asks in one of the final scenes, while watching TV and smoking, reveals that she had become accustomed to being treated that way.

The film also explores how delusional and disrespectful people can become when they possess enormous amounts of power and money.

Finally, it examines men who refuse to grow up, lack responsibility for their unacceptable behavior, and show no empathy-often as a result of receiving little attention or genuine love from their parents.

This is a very captivating movie. I wasn't bored for a single moment. The acting is incredible, the Armenians are hilarious, and I'm so glad they were part of the story.

Also, I fell in love with Igor.

Sean Baker turns "Anora" into one of those movies that seem to glide effortlessly, driven by a chaotic, almost comedic energy, but slowly peel back layers of pain, loneliness, and social brutality. He has this rare ability to balance the mundane and the extraordinary, the funny and the devastating, and here he delivers a film that refuses to be just a comedy of errors or a socially conscious drama. The movie pulses with the rhythm of New York, but not the postcard-perfect version-the cold, indifferent city where dreams crumble in dimly lit alleys and cramped apartments. Baker throws us right into this whirlwind, following Anora (Mikey Madison), a character who could have easily been reduced to a stereotype but instead comes alive with an impressive depth and force.

From the very start, Anora isn't framed as a victim or a heroine. She's just a young woman trying to get by, working as a stripper and escort without any grand illusions that her life is about to change dramatically. Baker constructs her routine with precision, pulling us into a world where every little detail matters-the sharp humor between coworkers, the annoying clients, the way she navigates these interactions with a mix of wit and resignation. And then Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) shows up-the Russian playboy who offers the promise of a sudden shift. He's not exactly a Prince Charming-he talks too much, seems lost in his own privilege, and acts like a tourist in his own life-but for Anora, he represents something different, maybe a glimpse of stability. When he proposes, the film swerves away from the obvious, treating it neither as a fairytale nor as a well-planned scheme, but as an inevitable accident, an impulsive decision that spirals into unexpected consequences.

Baker is a filmmaker deeply interested in class dynamics, and Anora plays almost like a study of how wealth shapes (and destroys) relationships. What starts as an improbable romance quickly turns into a lopsided power struggle when Ivan's family finds out about the marriage and does everything in their power to erase it. That's when we meet the clumsy enforcers sent to remove Anora from the equation-tragicomic figures who, just like her, are nothing more than disposable pieces in a bigger game. Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Yura Borisov play this trio brilliantly, swinging between brutality and buffoonery, like they walked straight out of a modern-day Coen brothers' film. But it's in the relationship between Anora and Igor (Borisov) that the film unexpectedly finds its heart. He enters her life as a threat but slowly recognizes something in her that connects them. Baker's direction lets us feel this shift without hammering it in, allowing the characters' evolution to unfold organically.

Drew Daniels' cinematography captures this version of New York in a raw, atmospheric way, evoking a kind of urban cinema that feels like it belongs to a different era-wet streets, hazy neon lights, a texture that's almost tangible. The city isn't just a backdrop; it's a silent character, a space that suffocates and spits out those who can't bend to its ruthless rules. The use of analog film adds another layer of realism, making each scene feel more immediate, like we're peeking into these lives without any filters.

But what truly makes Anora special is Mikey Madison's central performance. She delivers one of the most mesmerizing performances of the year, capturing every nuance of a character who swings between toughness and vulnerability. Madison builds Anora with precise physicality-she moves through the world with the confidence of someone who's learned to protect herself, but there are moments when her body betrays her exhaustion, showing cracks in her armor. The script lets her explore this complexity without falling into clichés, resulting in a protagonist who's never reduced to a symbol or a narrative function.

Overall, Anora is the kind of film that sneaks up on you. It starts as a fast-paced, borderline absurd comedy but gradually morphs into something more melancholic, more human. The violence in the story is never sensationalized but instead lingers in the background, in the way people are discarded and in choices made not out of ambition but out of necessity. By the time we reach the final moment-a blunt, inevitable gut punch that somehow isn't devoid of hope-we realize Baker has taken us somewhere few filmmakers can. He made us laugh, he made us feel the rush of the chase, but more than anything, he made us see the beauty and tragedy in a quiet, invisible struggle that plays out every day in the least glamorous corners of a city that never sleeps.

The first 40 minutes can be quite misleading, likely catching viewers off guard if they enter with the expectation of a romantic narrative.

Once the first act concludes and the second act kicks in, there's a striking shift in both tone and style that I honestly did not see coming.

The comedy is genuinely entertaining, with moments that will have you laughing out loud. Despite serious circumstances, the absurdity of the situations elicits laughter and chuckles.

They have certainly nailed the dark comedy sides of the story.

However, I found the dramatic elements to be less impactful than I had anticipated, leaving me puzzled by the overwhelmingly positive feedback it has garnered from all around.

While Mikey Madison delivered an impressive performance, and fully deserves every praise coming along her way, her character needed more depth to properly flourish. It feels as if the writing intentionally held back on details, leaving the job of contemplation solely to the audience.

I wish that weren't the case.

Sean Baker returns to his wheelhouse of exploring the dingy edges of society. This is a story of tormented love, a fiery look at how a young woman, scraping by as a sex worker in Brooklyn, sees her hopes and dreams become insanely real when she meets her prince charming, the son of a Russian oligarch. Their chemistry is instant and spellbinding. Her life changes dramatically as they get married.

Mikey Madison is miraculous as the young woman whose fairy tale dream comes alive. But unlike Elizabeth Taylor in "Butterfield 8" or Elisabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas", the female protagonist here never becomes the classic hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold. She remains tough as nails, chock full of rage and ready to throw her next punch until the very end. While she never becomes a savory person, her resolve never wanes. She knows how to stick up for herself and rejects with fury those who fail in this regard. It's one of the best performances of the year.

Just when you think you know where this is going, it upends your expectations and proves to be a much more challenging film with a sobering reality at its core. Many have referred to this as partly a comedy. In all honesty, that's a bit of a stretch, notwithstanding a dark sense of humor. Fair warning, this film is pretty taxing on the psyche. You might be exhausted in the end. But it's a memorable film that will leave you in devastated awe. Recommended to the highest degree.

Overrated and boring. Gratuitous nudity and sex scenes with a ton of fluff and fill dialogue. I'm not exactly sure what people were seeing when they gave it a great review, but there was only one solid takeaway from this movie, and that is that Mikey Madison can act. Caveat to that opinion is that specifics of her character can become quite annoying. You'll have to see it to understand exactly what I'm saying without giving any spoilers away. The movie starts out strong and sets itself up pretty well, only to come crashing down not even half way through. If you're not that curious of a movie buff, then you definitely won't regret passing on this one.

I am not really familiar with Sean Baker as a director. I know he directed a film called "Red Rocket" and another one called "The Florida Project" with Willem Dafoe but I have not seen either of them. This year he won the Palm D'or for the best film at the Cannes Film Festival for his new film "Anora". So I was looking forward to seeing it very much. I just saw it and I was not disappointed.

I loved this movie. Mikey Madison plays the title role of "Anora" who is a stripper and lap dancer in New York City who meets a rich Russian young man who pays her for sex and likes her so much that he pays her to spend a week with him.

Then he asks her to marry him. They go to Las Vegas and get married. Then his parents find out that he got married and try to get the marriage annulled.

The story is pretty simple but the film is very entertaining from beginning to end and the audience I saw it with found it very funny and laughed a lot.

The film is very emotionally involving and I really came to care about the character of Anora played by Mikey Madison. She gives the best performance of the year and I would really like to see her nominated for the Oscar for best actress next year.

Sean Baker is definitely a director to watch and I can't wait to see what he does next. Director Sean Baker and actress Mikey Madison are definitely a match made in movie heaven. This film is excellent.

First half: Pretty Woman + Porn.

Pretty Woman is enjoyable to watch, Anora is not. Too much unnecessary sex, vulgarity and bad languages

Second half: + Boring Actions + Trash Redundant fighting and searching scenes, those characters are completely empty and stupid, none of them are lovable and none of them can make audiences feel sympathy.

This movie is Not Oscar worthy, Not Aesthetic and Artistic appealing, not worthy your and my time. In fact, it left bad taste in my eyes and my mind. It is a low taste, low quality, lots of negative energy movie.

I don't understand how such a movie can be nominated to Oscar!!!

I went into Anora expecting an emotional, well-crafted drama, but what I got was two hours of nonstop screaming and overacting. The characters have no depth, and instead of real development, they just argue in every scene. The acting is over-the-top to the point of being unbearable-it feels like the cast was just told to yell their lines rather than actually act.

The story is predictable and shallow, with nothing original or meaningful to say. It tries to explore cultural differences, but everything is so exaggerated that it becomes almost comical. Instead of feeling like a genuine drama, it comes across as forced and exhausting. There are no quiet moments, no real emotional beats-just chaos for the sake of chaos.

Visually, the movie isn't impressive either. The cinematography is bland, and the pacing drags to the point where I kept checking how much time was left. The writing is weak, with awkward dialogue that makes it hard to take anything seriously. Instead of feeling invested in the characters, I just wanted the movie to end.

I honestly don't understand the praise this film is getting. It's loud, messy, and frustrating to watch. If you're looking for a well-acted, engaging drama, this isn't it. Easily one of the most overrated films of the year.

The movie is truly an enticing advertisement for why all girls should stop studying and work a stripper/escort. Acting is mediocre at best and the story is well .... for the lack of a better word mind-numbing as it reflects the super consumption fueled glam lifestyle every fashion magazine and Kardashian reality shows attempt to sell. How is this borderline pornographic crap-fest for 14 to 18 year old audiences was deemed worthy of an Oscar was beyond comprehension. I do have to admit the staging, scenery and costumes were quite suitable to tell the story but the dialogues (straight out of high school locker room was cringeworthy. Please help me comprehend how low the Oscar bar has been dropped in recent years or who the Russian mob paid off to make sure this mediocre flick received such high praise.

Watching this film at the Cannes Film Festival was such a unique experience that I completely lost track of things I usually pay attention to-direction, script, editing, acting, everything. That's when you know a film is truly exceptional!

Sean Baker takes us on another anti-stereotypical journey, one that makes you forget about everything else happening in your life.

I'm incredibly grateful to have had the privilege of watching this masterpiece at Cannes, in the iconic Grand Théâtre Lumière, sitting just a few rows away from the crew.

The 10-minute standing ovation was more than well-deserved-it was electric!

The hype surrounding Anora is colossal, and it delivered.

I had no idea what to expect going into it, aside from combining all three of Sean Baker's other movies in my head and thinking maybe it will be somewhere in the middle of all of them (The Florida Project, Red Rocket, and Tangerine - all great movies by the way, and all about sex workers). It had some similar tones and focuses, but otherwise Anora was a new beast of its own. I will say that towards the meat of the film, it got WAY more Safdie Brothers than I was expecting! A lot of people yelling over each other for a very long time! Very tense!

The movie sort of moves in three acts, as many great films do. I was getting the feeling towards the beginning it was going to feel a bit like Boogie Nights in structure, and I would say that that was pretty spot on. You have your party, your conflict, and your conclusion. Without saying too much about it, I will say that the ending made the entire movie for me, and my girlfriend agreed. You have a 2-hour experience that is mostly funny and mostly riveting, that all feels a little pulpy while still offering a lot of very on-point details on the sex work experience, but it all feels for-fun until you get to the ending. Rather than an ending that wraps things up nicely in a pretty little bow, it's an ending that unties the bow, and opens the box, and leaves you with the RAW reality of it all. I was a bit in awe taking in the very specific energy of the packed room as the silent credits hit and people very slowly began making their way (very quietly) out of the auditorium.

Mikey Madison is fantastic as Anora. Seeing the ads for the film, I expected a bubbly, sweet girl - but she plays a hard, sassy, hustler who is VERY New York City, and it was a pleasant surprise. Anora is a mostly likable character, but not always, and that only adds to her humanity and the overall realism and complexity of her functionality as a main character. You will experience a rollercoaster of ups and downs with her, and the depth feels very real. She is also extremely HOT and there's ALOT of SEX in this movie.

The whole cast is fantastic, but new faces Mark Eidelshtein and Yura Borisov make the strongest imprints as capable actors who deserve much more casting in the future. Eidelshtein stole the show as the most believable rich boy on a rampage ever, and Borisov's nuanced presence was loud AF without the need for many words.

I definitely think this is one of Baker's two finest films thus far, perhaps his best, and one of the best films of 2024. It's really great to see how well this movie is doing. The house was totally packed on a Monday night at 9:30 PM, and I hear it's opening weekend numbers were some of the highest this year. This is the kind of original, sincere, relevant filmmaking that needs to be seen, celebrated, and supported, and it's a joy to see it happening. I'm excited to see Mikey Madison's career bloom after this, and can't wait for more from Sean Baker.

The movie is a fun watch, it is a regular comedy movie and the plot feels similar to a Hangover movie of sorts. I went in expecting some sort of deep underlying symbolism and complex dialogue as is typical of Oscar winning movies. However sadly there isn't a single hard hitting scene in the movie, it relies entirely on Mikey Madison's appearance and acting skills to carry the plot forward. I particularly found it annoying how the characters excessively used the f word, easily 80-90% of the f bombs were absolutely unnecessary and began to sting my ears. The movie keeps you hoping for an intense plot twist, but it never comes. There is very minimal character development in the first half which i feel did not provide sufficient context for the way events unfold in the movie's second half. It starts to get pretty dull by the end. I feel the high critic ratings skewed my expectations from the movie, if i saw this as a casual Sunday viewing I would've absolutely loved it. But as an Oscar winner, this movie is extremely disappointing.