Release Date – 1st November 2024, Cert – 18, Run-time – 2 hours 19 minutes, Director – Sean Baker
Sex worker Ani (Mikey Madison) marries Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch, his family are soon racing to New York to get the marriage annulled.
Anora (Mikey Madison) is a force to be reckoned with. Tied up by a trio of Armenians after her husband, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), has escaped their home she sits and hurls a barrage of f-bombs at the men who have broken in. Leader Toros (Karren Karagulian) throws back just as many, failing to calm the chaos as his henchmen (Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov) stumble around piling extra noise into a glorious sequence of organised chaos.
The trio have been sent by Vanya’s wealthy parents, disapproving of the pair’s impromptu Vegas wedding; having only met a couple of days before, and racing to New York to get it annulled as soon as possible. However, with Vanya missing a late-night search spreads across the city in order to get him to the courthouse by morning. Thus ensues a true caper.
Things might take a bit of time to come together, but once the pair are married – and another needle drop for a remix of Take That’s Greatest Day begins – it’s hard not to break out into just as big a smile as seen on the young couple. From that point on the laughs are thrown out with equally fast pace to the frantic search across the city, which produces much of the humour from the inept and disorganised henchman who Ani rolls her eyes at on plenty of occasions.
Madison is fantastic, excelling in the leading role, capturing the humour of almost every situation while managing to get across her character’s increasing frustration. The underlying feelings and emotions of each scenario she’s thrown into. The worry as to where her husband is, and adamancy that the marriage will not be annulled. From there comes a fiery bite mixed with a defiance, hidden behind the everyday attitude we see at the start where her shifts as an exotic dancer and sex worker are simply part of her day-to-day.
A much deeper nature is brought to the character and what she goes through and experiences, both physically and emotionally, through the central performance, and indeed those around her. There’s an underlying uncertainty and sense of worry to the farce that unfolds across New York City, searching for an initially wonderfully semi-awkward son of a Russian oligarch.
I may not be entirely sold on the directions of the final ten minutes, yet there’s so much to enjoy within the insanely funny course of the narrative that it’s hard to be dampened. Once everything is in place, Anora rockets along with deliriously entertaining force. Force which is constructed in both the events and the way in which they’re fantastically paced through the editing.
A film with strong re-watchability thanks to its humour and characters, especially the depth Mikey Madison brings to the lead, Anora may well be a film that improves with a return viewing. From just a first it’s one of the best, most entertaining rides of the year.
A wonderfully chaotic ride, Anora is a fantastically paced and edited farcical caper with a fiery lead performance from Mikey Madison who perfectly captures the underlying emotions of each hilarious instance.
Just A Little Bit Random 