Anora is a harrowing, hilarious, oddly predictable tale about an exotic dancer who falls in love with a sleazy yet dreamy nepo baby. Mikey Madison gives her Academy Award-winning performance as dancer Anora, who prefers to go by her stage name, Ani. We immediately learned that Ani is confident, charismatic, and a popular dancer at the club where she works. She’s well-loved among the other dancers, aside from a ginger named Diamond, who hates Ani for being everything she isn’t.
Related
We’ll never forget what this show gave us
Spoilers below! Trigger Warning: F slur, sexual assault mention
After one particularly successful night, the club owner asks Ani to dance for a wealthy Russian client because she’s the only dancer who speaks Russian. Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn) is a spoiled twenty-one-year-old and the son of a billionaire father who recklessly spends his parents’ money. He initially charms Ani, asking personal questions about her during the dance. It’s the start of a lovely disaster when the two exchange numbers and Ani starts meeting Vanya for private sessions at his house. Soon enough, the lovers run off to Vegas together.
Entertainment with an edge
Whether you’re into indie comics, groundbreaking music, or queer cinema, we’re here to keep you in the loop.
Anora is like the evil twin sister of Pretty Woman. The movie wants you to root for Ani once she marries Vanya and leaves the club for good. However, we have to experience long, drawn-out scenes of Ani wondering where Vanya is after he abandons her once his family discovers he’s married a “whore,” in their estimation. But the film does make the lengthy scenes very humorous and offers a refreshing take on non-brutal henchmen.
The issue with Anora isn’t the thorny yet enjoyable characters— it’s the unrewarding plot and lack of an introspective lens on Ani herself. We don’t know anything about Anora or her dancer persona Ani, aside from having family in Miami and a sister that Vanya could “meet at any time.” The movie ruthlessly sexualizes Ani and even delivers an unsettling scene between Anora and a henchman, Ivan (Yura Borisov), where she asks him why he didn’t sexually assault her. She insinuates it’s because he has “rape” eyes and only assumes he didn’t cross the line because he’s a “f*ggot *ss b*tch.” The film doesn’t stray from the uncomfortable tendency to use slurs, especially in jarring contexts, so beware!
It’s also not the first controversy the movie has faced. Fans weren’t pleased with Madison’s rejection of an intimacy coordinator on set and the dangers it could pose.
Anora lived partly up to its promise as an entertaining, visually gorgeous movie with problematic themes, exhausting dialogue, and an unfavorable ending. But at least it made us laugh!
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
