202. [Movie Review] Anora (2024): "I don't have Instagram. I'm an adult, man."
[Spoilers, if you are interested in watching the movie!]
It's like Pretty Woman + Uncut Gems + Anna Karenina
My letterboxd review basically said: dumb twink couldn't handle a baddie. Clearly!
Anora is a 2024 drama film about a sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cast
- Ani/Anora – Mikey Madison
- Vanya/Ivan – Mark Eydelshteyn (Eidelstein)
- Igor – Yura Borisov
- Galina Zakharova – Darya Ekamasova
- Nikolai Zakharov – Aleksei Serebryakov
- Toros – Karren Karagulian
- Garnick – Vache Tovmasyan
- Diamond – Lindsey Normington
- Lulu – Luna Sofía Miranda
I had a realization about the film after I shut my laptop. While watching it, I knew I was enjoying myself, but I couldn’t quite pin down what I was feeling. There was this underlying confusion and a touch of tense discomfort during the first 45 minutes, especially in the "young marriage bliss" sequences. It felt off, like I was supposed to believe in the happiness but couldn’t fully trust it. Maybe it's because I knew from the start that the young and spoiled Vanya was not to be trusted at all.
I couldn't help but notice that Ani was supposed to be really street smart, but she is still a little naive. Like she could hold her own and really fight back when it comes to it, but she couldn't get through her head that her "husband" didn't care for her at all. He immediately abandoned her the second that they had to go. She was all alone in his house and she didn't want to admit that her husband sucks.
Then the ending hit, and that final moment brought it all together. It was cathartic—seeing her finally drop the facade felt like a massive release. I didn’t realize it while watching, but my emotional response to the film mirrored Anora’s journey. The same confusion and unease she wrestles with as she tries to make sense of her situation... it was what I felt watching her story unfold. And then, when she finally breaks down, it was like my emotions lined up with hers perfectly. I felt so sad for her.
Also, the henchmen? Absolute chaos. They were like a Russian/Armenian gangster version of the Three Stooges—tripping over each other, screwing up every task. It added this layer of absurd humor that I didn’t expect but totally appreciated. I felt bad for laughing because I thought it was supposed to be a drama. But the tone of the film completely shifted from "romantic drama" to "slapstick thriller", in my opinion
One scene that really stuck with me was when Igor told Ivan he should apologize. There’s this flashback during the flight to Vegas, where Ivan’s parents are laying into him about his chronic irresponsibility, insisting he get his act together and start working next year. The whole family’s yelling at each other, and even the dad jumps in to laugh at the mom for being so frustrated.
But then, when someone actually asks Ivan to take the smallest bit of accountability—a simple apology, a basic acknowledgment that he owes someone basic respect—they lose their minds. It was such a sharp commentary on how people can rail against expectations all day long, but the second they’re asked to change even a little, they dig their heels in and angrily refuse.
I rated it 4 of 5 stars on Letterboxd.
~ Three Carats. What about four?,
<3 K