A young Brooklyn sex worker named Anora (Mikey Madison) meets the son of a rich Russian oligarch named Ivan (Mark Eydeishteyn). After a whirlwind few weeks of him paying for her company whilst partying they marry. When his parents find out he is married they head to New York to get the marriage annulled. 

Ani, as she prefers to be known, can speak Russian thanks to her heritage and stubborn grandmother who refused to learn English. As a result her boss at the strip club she works sets her up with Ivan. What follows are a decadent few weeks of drugs, alcohol and parties as Ivan shows off the wealth that he is used to. Following a trip to Vegas the pair marry and Ani thinks that all of her dreams have come true. 

When word gets around, Ivan’s guardian Torres (Karen Karagulian) sends Garnik (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) to Ivan’s home to find out if it’s true. Ivan panics and runs away leaving Ani to face the music. With Ani being held against her will the group spend their time trying to track down Ivan before his parents arrive. 

Anora is a film written and directed by Sean Baker and all of his hallmarks are here. We have a focus on marginalised communities, in this case sex workers. A mixture of real life people and actors to try to increase realism. And a shooting style that makes us feel like we are part of these people’s lives. The end product is a film fizzing with manic energy, filled with interesting and believable characters and featuring an incredibly impactful finale that rams home the message it has been pervasively delivering throughout. 

Its star Mikey Madison is undeniably the greatest facet of the film delivering the sort of breakout performance that should result in her getting offered her pick of scripts for future roles. Ani is a fiercely independent woman who is on high alert at all times. Watching her go through various emotions as she tries to process what is happening to her is fascinating. Most importantly, there are no heroes in this film to root for. Just individuals who are broken in their own way trying to come to terms with the cards life deals them. 

The male characters in the story cover a broad spectrum as well. Ivan, or Vanya as he is known is a spoilt rich kid with no sense of responsibility. Torres’ morals are completely ruled by self interest in his serving of Ivan’s parents. Garnik is a slave to his brother Torres’ requests. And it falls upon Igor, as the muscle of the group to be the only one who actually pays any attention to what Ani wants. All of these interactions make for some guardedly funny moments in the almost screwball comedy like middle section of the film. 

A superb film that will make you laugh and think in equal measure. A brutal expose of the emotional tolls that sex workers live with set to a manic screwball comedy. And featuring probably the best ever use of Take That’s Greatest Day in a film.