Top notch indie director? Breakthrough role all but guaranteed to get an Oscar nomination? Intriguing, controversial subject matter? Check, check, check.
How to watch Anora in the UK
After an absolutely barnstorming festival run, Anora has arrived in the UK and is now playing in UK cinemas.
Anora
What is Anora about?
Sean Baker, writer and director of Tangerine and The Florida Project, brings us this riff on Pretty Woman, which sees the titular sex worker whisked off on a whirlwind romance with the ne’er-do-well son of a Russian oligarch, much to the disapproval of his family. After a quickie Vegas wedding, his parents insist on an anulment, but this is true love…isn’t it? Well, maybe. Baker’s gift as a filmmaker is the way he’s able to capture the essential humanity of marginalised people, and all reports indicate he’s done the same thing here. But don’t expect a conventional narrative arc.
The cast of Anora
Mikey Madison, in what is clearly her break out role, is Anora; Mark Eydelshteyn is her Russian rich kid flame, Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov; Yura Borisov is henchman Igor; Karren Karagulian is an Armenian handler Toros, hired by Vanya’s father to keep an eye on him; Vache Tovmasyan is Garnick, Toros’ brother; Aleksei Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova are Nikolai and Galina Zakharov, Vanya’s disapproving parents; while Lindsey Normington, Ivy Wolk, Luna Sofía Miranda, Alena Gurevich, Sebastian Conelli, and Ella Rubin round out the cast.
Anora trailer
Why we’re excited about Anora
If the festival and awards buzz weren’t enough, we simply have to gesture in the direction of Baker’s previous body of work to illustrate why we’re pumped for this one. Add in what is clearly a bold and fearless performance from Mikey Madison that has instantly catapulted her onto the A List, and Anora is the must-see arthouse hit of the holiday season.
