Movie Review: Anora Is Breaking Down the Stigma Around Sex Work

Anora, directed by Sean Baker, takes viewers through the life of Anora ‘Ani’ Mikheeva (played by Mikey Madison), a modern-day prostitute, as she experiences a period of romance and betrayal. The film, released to the public on October 18, 2024, presents to viewers the complex relationship between Ani and Ivan Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), a Russian tourist visiting America.

Mikey Madison’s portrayal of Ani was phenomenal. Madison was able to bring this fictional character to life and gave her a personality that is unforgettable.

“I studied lots of dancers and went to clubs and saw how they used their bodies, because to me, her nudity is kind of like a costume,” she said in an interview with Isabelle Huppert. You can really see that Madison studied other prostitutes to make sure she played Ani as accurately as possible in the film.

“In strip club culture, you need to have long nails because you’re wearing so little,” she said in a different interview. This demonstrates how Madison truly put effort into presenting to audiences an accurate portrayal of a modern-day prostitute.

I loved how Sean Baker chose to make Ani a woman who doesn’t need the approval of anyone, but her own. Ani is illustrated as a woman who is independent, confident, and humorous. In multiple scenes throughout the film, audiences are shown how Ani relies on herself and stands up for herself when confronted. While she was with Ivan, she still defended herself and fought for what she wanted. Although the beginning of the film was depicted as a Cinderella fairytale, Ani is no Disney princess; she is a princess of her own.

The cinematography of the film was satisfactory, but still impressive. On the other hand, the lighting did most of the talking during the film. I noticed that during most of the film, except the Fremont Street scene, the simple lighting reminded me of those filters people used in 2015-2017. The filming during the scene where Ivan and Ani were in Fremont Street showed both the newlyweds and the colorful, bright ceiling; this was a favorite scene of mine due to how the cinematographer was able to capture both the couple and the ceiling.

Anora is an attention-grabbing movie that engages the audience through a romance, while also shedding light on the stigmas of prostitution and sex work. Sean Baker did an amazing job on creating an independent woman who refuses to endure any mistreatment from others. Although the film is not suitable for younger audiences, the film teaches people a vital lesson: not everything goes according to plan.

Final rating: 8.8/10