As I explore in a separate piece, over the course of nearly a century the movie god we know as “Oscar” has often gotten it wrong. Examples abound across the decades, giving us movie buffs plentiful material for spirited debate.
This year, there were no clear favorites going in for Best Picture, but I had my own pick: Sean Baker’s “Anora”. So imagine my delight when it prevailed last night, winning five major awards, including Best Picture, Director, and Actress.
It’s a moment for rejoicing, as this time the Academy (and its voters) got it just right. To celebrate, here’s the piece I wrote about this special film a couple of months’ back.
If you have yet to see “Anora”, you’re overdue!
As each year draws to a close, I always look for that one unexpected, under-the radar film that has everyone buzzing, more from word-of-mouth than heavy publicity.
The one movie that seems to come out of nowhere. The one that surprises me most, the one I watch again, the one that renews my faith in movies.
Most often it’s not a big-budget Hollywood release. For me last year, that single film was “Anatomy of a Fall”, starring German actress Sandra Huller, which eventually won the Oscar for Original Screenplay.
This year, without question it’s Sean Baker’s “Anora”, the first American movie to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes since Terence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” (2011).
Streaming now, “Anora” imbues a seemingly tawdry tale with tremendous heart and humanity. Oh, and it’s extremely funny too.
The title character (Mikey Madison) is a Brooklyn-based exotic dancer who does escort work on the side. One night at the Manhattan club where she works, she meets Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), a Russian youth who claims to be 21 but looks younger.
Regardless of age, Vanya has money to burn and soon hires “Ani”(the nickname she prefers) as his exclusive girlfriend for a week of excessive partying and frantic sex. A mad spark of romance results in a more binding arrangement.
But how will Vanya’s Russian oligarch father and ice-cold, ruthless mother react when they learn their son has tied the knot with an American call girl? Finding out is one wild, exhilarating ride, by turns hilariously profane and deeply moving.
Director Sean Baker (“The Florida Project”) and team really hit the bull’s-eye here, and Madison’s fearless yet nuanced turn as Ani is star-making.
Have I convinced you yet? “Anora” is indeed my favorite movie of 2024, the one that makes me believe in movies all over again. Stream it soon!
