You aren’t wrong: ‘Anora’ is suddenly inescapable
As the Oscars inch ever closer, one film has emerged as the one to beat: Anora. It hasn’t been a straightforward journey for the film, though.
Anora follows a stripper named Ani who falls for the son of a Russian oligarch who comes to her club one night. They get married, much to the chagrin of his wealthy parents, bringing into question the authenticity of Ani’s Cinderella story.
After winning the Palm d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, in May 2024, Anora was the first true frontrunner of awards season. Though the trophy typically makes the film a contender at the Academy Awards, winners rarely ever take home Best Picture at the Oscars nearly 10 months later. Only three have ever done so: The Lost Weekend (1945), Marty (1955) and Parasite (2019).
Anora writer-director Sean Baker is best known for creating scrappy, low-budget independent films about people on the fringes of society — from retired porn stars slinking back to their hometowns (Red Rocket, 2021) to trans sex workers investigating a cheating pimp (Tangerine, 2015). For Anora, he cast little-known actors that he handpicked from their unusual auditions or underrated work in other films, crafting his screenplays around them.
Baker has filmed movies entirely on iPhones and with minimal budgets for decades, but his resource pool has increased lately. He told Yahoo Entertainment in October that the Palm d’Or win immediately changed his life. Anora became his own Cinderella story.
“There’s not any resistance. All resistance [has been] removed,” Baker said. “I can actually continue to make the types of movies I want to make the way I want to make them.”
Anora remained part of awards conversations leading into the Golden Globes, where it was nominated for five, but completely shut out. After doing surprisingly well at the box office — $38.1 million worldwide on a $6 million budget — it seemed the fairy tale might be ending. Its six Oscar nominations were nice, but the film lost momentum compared to competitors like Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist.
But then Anora’s competitors unexpectedly began falling apart. Awards season villain Emilia Pérez endured massive fallout when controversial X posts from lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón surfaced. The Brutalist failed to pick up crucial nominations, and the low-budget behemoth suffered from critiques about its use of AI. Both have a high barrier to entry for curious viewers and voters — Emilia Pérez is an offbeat Spanish-language musical, and The Brutalist is a sprawling three hours and 35 minutes long.
When it seemed all hope had been lost for Anora, it won the top prize at three of the major Best Picture precursors — the Critics Choice Awards, PGA Awards and DGA Awards — all in one weekend between Feb. 7 and 8. It was once again the frontrunner for Best Picture. Since the founding of both guilds, only six movies in academy history have lost Best Picture after securing both PGA and DGA feature awards.
Though it was shut out by the Golden Globes at the beginning of awards season and by the SAG Awards at the end, Anora has now become unavoidable. Its distributor, Neon, has tracked its rise and ubiquity through Instagram posts, honoring every small-but-mighty win at the WGA Awards and Film Independent Spirit Awards.
One phrase frequently comes up in the film’s marketing materials, including a not-so-subtle For Your Consideration billboard: Follow your heart.
Since that fateful weekend, star Mikey Madison appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show and covered W magazine, and her co-star Mark Eydelshteyn was a Cosmopolitan centerfold. “Anora” was the answer to a New York Times Crossword clue. The film’s screenplay was given out for free at independent bookstores. Anora is everywhere.
In Baker’s many acceptance speeches, he has called for longer theatrical runs for films — a popular talking point among cinephiles hoping to have new life injected into the cinematic experience as streaming services continue to generate massive amounts of views.
Though it might not drive as many viewers to the theater as blockbuster Best Picture nominees like Dune: Part Two and Wicked, Anora is still fascinating filmgoers. According to Google data shared with Yahoo Entertainment, Anora was the No. 1 most-searched Best Picture nominee in February. It’s the No. 3 most-searched on Yahoo, contributing to its No. 1 spot overall on our Best Picture Leaderboard.
It’s been a chaotic awards season, and critics agree that Anora would be a meaningful choice to win Best Picture. Maybe it’s exactly the kind of twisted Cinderella story the academy is craving right now.
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With the 97th Academy Awards ceremony approaching this Sunday, members of The Crimson’s Arts Board make the case for which of the 10 nominated films will win the prestigious Best Picture title.
‘Anora’ (dir. Sean Baker)
With a powerful narrative, compelling acting, and refreshing cinematography, Sean Baker’s “Anora” undoubtedly has all the elements of a Best Picture winner. “Anora” has artistically redefined the lens through which we view sex work, class, and labor.
In telling the story of Ani (Mikey Madison), a sex worker who impulsively marries a Russian oligarch’s son (Mark Eydelshteyn), Baker and cinematographer Drew Daniels provide a masterclass in framing and attention to detail. Ani and Vanya’s whirlwind relationship is captured through a dizzying yet captivating compilation of camera work, from close-ups to wide-angle shots that have no other choice but to pull viewers in and never let go.
The stars of the film are also what make “Anora” shine all the more brightly. Madison brings spirit to Ani, diving headfirst into the nuances of the character with an effortlessness that pairs brilliantly with the film’s themes. Baker goes where most modern-day films don’t; the realities of sex work, wealth, and power make Madison’s portrayal of Ani all the more unique. Eydelshteyn’s performance as Vanya is equally striking; His ability to subtly peel back layers of the character with subtle mannerisms is alluring. He successfully conveys Vanya’s inner turmoil and emotional development in relation to his parents and their expectations for his life.
The intertwining of these characters and their inevitable fallout makes “Anora” as intriguing as it is, and the film’s overall production — meriting Directors Guild of America Awards, Producers Guild of America Awards, and Cannes’ Palme d’Or — cements it as one of the best films to come out of 2024.
—Staff writer Emily G. Fallas-Chacon can be reached at emily.fallas-chacon@thecrimson.com.
‘The Brutalist’ (dir. Brady Corbet)
Unflinching and epic, Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” follows fictional architect Lázló Tóth (Adrien Brody) and his all-consuming work under eccentric wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). With awe-inspiring cinematography by Lol Crawley and an incredible score by Daniel Blumberg, “The Brutalist” features some of the most elegant and stunning cinematic sequences of the past year. Shots of Tóth’s monumental creation appear alternatingly heavenly and cavernous against the gorgeous backdrop of Pennsylvanian hills. That being said, “The Brutalist” never borders on sentimental, even in sequences that seem to purport the promise of the United States. The film embodies Tóth’s architecture – spectacular but harsh. The ugly truth remains ever-present.
Impressively, despite a lengthy three-and-a-half-hour runtime, the film never drags — a testament to the power of an intermission. Brody’s leading performance grounds Tóth through the two distinct acts and captures the man’s eccentricities without losing track of his charismatic brilliance. Pearce’s Van Buren and Felicity Jones as Tóth’s wife Erzsébet also turn in fabulous supporting performances. Pearce goes from posturing to sickeningly domineering, wholly believable the entire time. In “The Brutalist,” Corbet has crafted a movie much like the architectural movement: divisive, huge, and certain to stand the test of time.
—Staff Writer Ria S. Cuéllar-Koh can be reached at ria.cuellarkoh@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @riacuellarkoh.
‘Conclave’ (dir. Edward Berger)
The fact that “Conclave,” a political thriller about the election of a new pope, is not at all boring is a miracle in itself. Based on the novel of the same name by Robert Harris, the film directed by Edward Berger transforms the bureaucracy and traditionalism of a papal conclave into a beautiful story underlining the power of faith and acceptance.
“Conclave” is also very funny. The ensemble of cardinals (and one nun) is hilarious. Staunch traditionalist Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) hits his vape multiple times throughout the film. Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) solemnly delivers a proto-feminist quip: “Although we sisters are supposed to be invisible, God has nevertheless given us eyes and ears.”
But the sincere moments of “Conclave” are just that — speeches about faith and doubt and love delivered with a subdued passion. The emotional experience of “Conclave” alone is enough to earn Best Picture.
—Staff writer Khadijah A. Olufayo can be reached at khadijah.olufayo@thecrimson.com.
‘A Complete Unknown’ (dir. James Mangold)
Any James Mangold film will likely be a success. Any Mangold film about a musician — especially one reminiscent of his defining film, “Walk the Line” — will likely define the film world’s year. And that’s just what his newest film, “A Complete Unknown,” did. The famed director is not unfamiliar with winning Academy Awards — his past films have won four — so, suffice to say, he knows how to do it.
“A Complete Unknown” features a star-studded cast — Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro — and follows Bob Dylan’s early career and rise to fame. Reflecting on the plot, not too much happens. Rather, it is the excellent acting, from Chalamet’s expert Dylan-esque voice to Norton’s Oscar-worthy performance to Barbaro’s Joan Baez reminding the world of the folk musician’s discography, that will carry the film to Best Picture.
Mangold plays on what audiences want to see: an escapist film filled with the positive echoes of the past. And it worked — as we will see on Sunday when “A Complete Unknown” wins Best Picture.
—Staff writer Thomas A. Ferro can be reached at thomas.ferro@thecrimson.com.
‘Dune: Part Two’ (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
Before Villeneuve’s breathtaking cinematic delivery, it seemed unimaginable to convert to film Frank Herbert’s bizarre yet iconic space empire: the harsh majesty of the desert planet Arrakis; the slick, sickly black sun-lit home planet of House Harkonnen. The second installment of “Dune” landed the even greater task of convincingly portraying the military uprising of an oppressed people. Its sense of not just interplanetary but religious immensity, aided in no small part by Hans Zimmer’s score, is interminable.
In “Dune: Part Two,” Paul Atreides seizes his destiny as the prophesied Kwisatz Haderach and emperor of the universe. The film, in clearer strokes than Herbert’s book, warns us that Paul is a manufactured messiah, yet simultaneously instills the awesome, terrible power that brings us — like the Fremen — to reverence.
“Dune: Part Two” isn’t just the best sci-fi movie of the year. It’s a monumental feat of cinematography and storytelling, not in spite of, but because of its genre. Far more than a great adaptation of a beloved book, it can only instill the awe that it does because it is cinema, and because it is sci-fi — powerfully artistic, truly epic.
—Staff writer Isabelle A. Lu can be reached at isabelle.lu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @IsabelleALu.
‘The Substance’ (dir. Coralie Fargeat)
Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” stands out from this year’s Oscar nominees as a visceral work that fuses body horror, science fiction, and a searing critique of societal standards of beauty and aging. Anchored by phenomenal performances from both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, the film delves into the surreal and haunting consequences of one’s reinvention of identity. Moore captivates as Elisabeth Sparkle, exuding vulnerability and raw intensity, while Qualley’s transformation as Sue unfolds with an unsettling yet intoxicating air.
The cinematography is fluid and jarring, with sharp camera pans and surreal overlays that intensify the characters’ psychological descent into madness. One of the most striking scenes — reminiscent of David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” — is Sue’s audition scene. The use of vibrant colors and unconventional, disorienting camera angles create a sense of an unsettling reality lurking beneath the surface. Backed by an evocative, discordant score by Raffertie, “The Substance” transcends mere storytelling or social critique — it’s a dive into the depths of the human subconsciousness, forcing you to confront the horror of self-erasure.
—Staff writer Anastasia Poliakova can be reached at anastasia.poliakova@thecrimson.com.
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