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On the surface, Sean Baker‘s fascination with the world of professional sex may appear salacious and indulgent. After a while, it’s easy to speculate that the writer-director keeps returning to this milieu out of sheer fetishization, but his most recent critically acclaimed film, Anora, affirms Baker’s humanist sensibilities. Throughout his career, he has been drawn to sex workers and washed-up adult film stars not because of their lurid makeup, but because they operate outside the margins of society.Anora represents a major stepping stone for Baker’s thesis on this enterprise, as he tells a modern-day Cinderella story of a Brooklyn sex worker taken for a trip into an exuberant world of wealth before it all comes crashing down. Even when the titular Ani (Mikey Madison) becomes the center of attention, Baker can’t help but focus on people in the background, notably the film’s emotional heart, Igor (Yuri Borisov).
Sean Baker’s Humanist Portrayal of Sex Workers Reaches Its Peak in ‘Anora’
Anora, the winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, confirmed Sean Baker’s status as one of the prominent American filmmakers of his era. Even before this prestigious honor, Baker established himself as an exceptional humanist storyteller of disregarded demographics and master of tonal balance with Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. With Anora, he made his most accessible and crowd-pleasing film to date, as his commentary on the class divide and transactional nature of life was communicated through the mold of an affectionate romantic drama and zany screwball comedy.
In the film, after Ani impulsively marries Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the immature, slacker son of an immensely wealthy Russian oligarch, Toros (Karren Karagulian), his father’s business manager in America, enraged to learn that Vanya has married a sex worker, sends two henchmen, Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor, to the young man’s luxurious home to straighten things out. Garnick is your typical mob-like enforcer who will serve his duties at any cost, while Igor, a man of few words, is more unassuming. That is, until, when trying to prevent Ani from storming out of the house to chase after her fleeing husband, he barbarically ties her up with a phone cord. With this sobering moment that defuses the manic chaos of this extended interrogation sequence in Vanya’s home, the audience rightfully marks Igor as a ruthless goon, one who is dumbfounded enough not to realize when he’s crossing the line. Ani, like the viewer, is spooked by his laconic nature and constant gazing.
Yuri Borisov’s Performance in ‘Anora’ Underscores The Fleeting Humanity in Ani’s Life
Anora, plot-wise and tonally, keeps the viewer on edge at every minute. Following Ani’s euphoric rags-to-riches arc that peaks at her Las Vegas honeymoon, the film reaches a blistering hangover stage. After a scuffle that leaves Vanya’s interior decorations in ruins, Ani, Toros, Garnick, and Igor are forced to play detective and find the missing heir apparent. While it’s easy to get wrapped up in this street-level mystery where the group traverses around town searching for Vanya’s last known location, the quiet stare of Igor reminds us of the poignant implications behind Anora. Amid the frenzy and constant quarreling between Ani and Toros, Baker lingers on Igor’s increasingly sympathetic eyes. Where the loquacious Vanya never knew when to quit, this taciturn henchman is sheepish throughout the film, hesitant to demonstrate authority over Ani or express affection for her. The man we once feared in Vanya’s mansion gradually evolves as a shining source of humanity, as he performs chivalrous acts, from lending Ani a scarf for warmth to sticking up for her character.
Baker could’ve easily deployed the character for broad comic relief or imposing menace, but he opted to unpack the complexities of this character performing thankless labor in an unknown nation. In the film, Ani is not the only one entangled in a world foreign to her. Yuri Borisov reflected on Igor’s alienation, “It’s absolutely not his place. And it’s empty around him. He doesn’t have friends or things.” The actor describes Igor’s relationship with Ani as two sides of the same coin. As lonely people, “their souls need each other,” Borisov said.
Not only are they vulnerable in their circumstances, but they also share the poignant sensation of being transactional entities. Igor, a grunt worker performing a menial task for a multi-millionaire, understands Ani’s plight. He recognizes that, with every besmirching instance of being referred to as a “prostitute” or “hooker,” Ani is disregarded as an object like him. Left powerless, Igor hovers in the background, bewildered by Garnick’s destructive behavior and saddened by Ani’s shattered Cinderella fantasy. In Anora, Sean Baker shows that most people are cogs in the machine of the class structure, and any sign of basic human empathy is pushed off to the margins. We see you, Igor.
Anora is now playing in theaters. Click below for showtimes.
Anora follows a young sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, igniting a potential fairy tale. Upon learning of the union, his influential parents travel to New York to annul the marriage, jeopardizing her unexpected chance at a new beginning.
- Release Date
- October 18, 2024
- Director
- Sean Baker
- Cast
- Mikey Madison , Mark Eydelshteyn , Karren Karagulian , Yuriy Borisov , Vache Tovmasyan , Ivy Wolk , Luna Sofía Miranda , Ross Brodar , Lindsey Normington , Darya Ekamasova , Emily Weider , Alena Gurevich , Masha Zhak , Paul Weissman , Charlton Lamar , Aleksey Serebryakov , Ella Rubin , Vincent Radwinsky , Michael Sergio , Brittney Rodriguez , Sophia Carnabuci , Anton Bitter , Zoë Vnak
- Runtime
- 139 Minutes
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