Anora

Anora is a grittier experience. All the performances are impressive and I will not be surprised if Madison receives an Oscar nomination.

It’s a rollercoaster ride, yet Baker never confuses movement with action. Every twist takes you somewhere you hadn’t quite expected to be, revealing an emotion you hadn’t expected to share.

As brazen and unapologetic as many of Baker’s characters are… There is a desperation and a dependency on others that Ani refuses to let define her.

It's absolutely breathless in terms of its energy.

I know you won’t believe it’s as good as everyone is saying it is until you hear it from me so here you are: yes, it’s as good as everyone is saying it is.

At its core it’s a romantic dramedy that’s gotten a lot of comparisons to Pretty Woman, though it seems even more spiritually akin to Federico Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria.

The movie Anora is bright and energetic with a bit of empathy towards its characters.

It’s clear early in Anora that Ani’s story probably won’t have a magical ending, but, like her, you want to believe that it might, thanks to Mikey Madison’s knockout performance as Ani.

Madison’s intense performance resulted in her winning the Oscar for Best Actress and helped lead the film to being named Best Picture. Her work is presented with a brutal reality that makes the production at times tough to watch but always compelling.

Baker’s watchword, as it were, is no indictment, no condemnation. When it comes to Ani, that’s fine. When it comes to the social order, that turns into artistic and social negligence.