User reviews

I don't understand at all how this got 5 Oscar's this year. I'm watching for the first time as it has now hit streaming and I was left very confused. It was slow in the first half, picked up a little in the second and then the last half went back to being slow. A lot of scenes were super drawn out, there was no need for the film to be as long as it was. We got absolutely no back story on Anora at all which is what I was waiting for. Don't get me wrong, Mikey Madison isn't a bad actress but I was waiting for more. For the most part she just cursed, showed her body and screamed a lot. I didn't really see a performance worth best actress, even though her performance wasn't terrible. The script also wasn't that good, there were a lot of pieces that were overly repetitive and the characters were pretty much one dimensional. I guess the audience is left to use our imagination but I wish we were given more for the runtime.

The movie is truly an enticing advertisement for why all girls should stop studying and work a stripper/escort. Acting is mediocre at best and the story is well .... for the lack of a better word mind-numbing as it reflects the super consumption fueled glam lifestyle every fashion magazine and Kardashian reality shows attempt to sell. How is this borderline pornographic crap-fest for 14 to 18 year old audiences was deemed worthy of an Oscar was beyond comprehension. I do have to admit the staging, scenery and costumes were quite suitable to tell the story but the dialogues (straight out of high school locker room was cringeworthy. Please help me comprehend how low the Oscar bar has been dropped in recent years or who the Russian mob paid off to make sure this mediocre flick received such high praise.

The first 40 minutes can be quite misleading, likely catching viewers off guard if they enter with the expectation of a romantic narrative.

Once the first act concludes and the second act kicks in, there's a striking shift in both tone and style that I honestly did not see coming.

The comedy is genuinely entertaining, with moments that will have you laughing out loud. Despite serious circumstances, the absurdity of the situations elicits laughter and chuckles.

They have certainly nailed the dark comedy sides of the story.

However, I found the dramatic elements to be less impactful than I had anticipated, leaving me puzzled by the overwhelmingly positive feedback it has garnered from all around.

While Mikey Madison delivered an impressive performance, and fully deserves every praise coming along her way, her character needed more depth to properly flourish. It feels as if the writing intentionally held back on details, leaving the job of contemplation solely to the audience.

I wish that weren't the case.

Sorry the movie is predictable and also not really well made as some parts are too long without giving anything more while others are too short and should be more investigated. The only positive thing of the whole 2 hours that the predictable and poorly directed and acted movie is the main actress that is the only reason I made till the end. The car scenes at the end of the movie is the only really scene of the whole thing.

I don't understand how this movie won 5 oscars... probably the level is so low nowadays that you can win big also without this kind of film... This movie won best original screenplay instead of real pain....no idea what they smoked before voting.

This movie represented so many complex layers. The most evident to me was the stark contrast in what a "child/boy" looks like, versus what a "real man" worthy of respect looks like. The differences are glaring.

Another layer is Anora. In her world of gritty survival and hustling to make ends meet, she's learned to use the only thing she believes the world values her for- her body. She spends a lifetime hiding vulnerability and her true self. She protects her heart by wearing armor disguised as insults, defensiveness, coldness, and shallowness.

She believes a wealthy man will fill the emptiness in her heart and erase her problems. She soon realizes that wealth does not make a man worthy of love and respect. Strength, kindness, safety, and understanding make a real man. When Anora finally recognizes she's safe, the walls come crashing down.

How does a movie with no dialog win an Oscar?? Can someone explain that to me?! Saying a bunch of curse words for 2 hours does not constitute a dialog. The "couple" has zero chemistry so how are we expected to believe that she loved him?? Nothing happened between them for her to fall in love. They go on a vegas trip, spend a bunch of money, and that's it? That's how you fall in love with someone?! Hey writers, I got news for you - it doesn't work that way. It takes more than that! The russian actor was good and yes, the final scene made a lot of sense even though it was predictable as hell. The scenes where they're looking for the guy were soooooo drawn out and pointless. Why would you do that?!

If there was ever any doubt that the Academy was corrupt, after this movie, there is no doubt anymore. It's obvious that the Oscars are won with money, not talent. This movie winning 5 Oscars is undeniable proof of that.

Overrated and boring. Gratuitous nudity and sex scenes with a ton of fluff and fill dialogue. I'm not exactly sure what people were seeing when they gave it a great review, but there was only one solid takeaway from this movie, and that is that Mikey Madison can act. Caveat to that opinion is that specifics of her character can become quite annoying. You'll have to see it to understand exactly what I'm saying without giving any spoilers away. The movie starts out strong and sets itself up pretty well, only to come crashing down not even half way through. If you're not that curious of a movie buff, then you definitely won't regret passing on this one.

I just watched one of the best films of the year. The Athens festival nights have kicked off, and at the opening ceremony, we were lucky enough to catch Anora. And let me tell you, this film absolutely slays. From the very first scene, you're glued to the screen, and that feeling just doesn't let up. As the movie went on, I kept thinking, "Come on, it has to slow down at some point, right? Give us a breather." Nope, no breaks, no dips, not even a hint of slowdown. Anora has one of the best paces I've ever experienced in a movie.

Anora, a sex worker and a tough girl from Brooklyn, meets the son of a Russian oligarch and, in a whirlwind of madness, marries him. But her fairytale quickly turns into a nightmare when the news reaches Russia, and his parents do everything they can to annul their marriage. The lead actress, Mikey Madison, who plays Anora, is an absolute revelation. She effortlessly combines sexiness, femininity, childlike innocence, and toughness in a way that leaves you speechless. She's going to go very, very far, and don't be surprised if you see her nominated for an Oscar. Personally, I'd also give a Best Supporting Actor nomination to Mark Eidelshtein, who plays the Russian son. He's the most entertaining thing I've seen in a long time. Fantastic.

Anora is a punch to the face of the traditional fairytale concept. It's a realistic, violent, raw, funny, and ultimately sweet modern Cinderella story. Only, in the real world, no prince is going to come and save you-you've got to pick up the pieces and lift your head up high yourself.

This movie is about a traumatized and abused child who grows up and perpetuates the cycle of abuse by choosing to work in a strip club. It tells the story of a strong woman who is broken inside and has not healed. The question she asks in one of the final scenes, while watching TV and smoking, reveals that she had become accustomed to being treated that way.

The film also explores how delusional and disrespectful people can become when they possess enormous amounts of power and money.

Finally, it examines men who refuse to grow up, lack responsibility for their unacceptable behavior, and show no empathy-often as a result of receiving little attention or genuine love from their parents.

This is a very captivating movie. I wasn't bored for a single moment. The acting is incredible, the Armenians are hilarious, and I'm so glad they were part of the story.

Also, I fell in love with Igor.

Mikey Madison's performance in this film left an impression on me, to me she carries this film and plays her role as "Ani" (Anora) exceptionally well. She perfected the New York American accent for this role, even in the scenes where she is screamingly mad she does not lose the standard of her perfected accent. I think she is so convincing in portraying the realities of lives of sex workers in Brooklyn and it makes you feel so bad for her. There is something about her character that is so likeable despite the fact that she has very low moral values and of course much looked down upon through the lens of society. The film's ending had me in tears (I don't cry easily in films, it is one of the few films which just left me speechless at the end). After watching Mickey Madison's acceptance speech as best actress I can't help but like her. There is an honesty to her, a "this is who I am- nature" it reminds me of Lady Gaga. I have never heard of her before and so I really wanted to watch this film to see what the hype was all about. Her role and award is very well deserved, no doubt. The film starts quite explicitly with naked lap dancers in a night club, it caught me off guard but as the film progressed I was intrigued throughout.

I wanted to see this film for a long time due to high rating on Metacritic, also won Palm D'or, so was very excited to watch it and finally when it won the Oscar, I bought the film on Amazon prime and watched it To say the least, I was a utterly disappointed. Yes movie had some sequences which were good, but nowhere is the movie Oscar worthy. It should not even be nominated in the best films category. I don't know what has happened to Hollywood that the level of movies that win Oscars has degraded so much over the years. Winning the Oscar for best film was a life goal and this movie winning it really undermines the value of an Oscar.

The script, the narrative is okay, nothing new, some surprises here and there, and that's about it.

The performances I would say are good. The lead actress has done a great job. Maybe she deserved an Oscar nomination, but not win the other side characters, except for one or two are interesting. Rest are not making any sense or any depth of your thinking about them a lot.

Cinematography is good. There is a lot of frames are well placed and lot of imagery. I would say photography is good, but again when the narrative is not strong enough to hold everything falls apart.

I've not seen the other movies which have been nominated. Maybe they are even worse than this, but of course, this does not live up to expectations and Hollywood needs to up their game. Otherwise, I need to stop watching any new movies.

Sean Baker turns "Anora" into one of those movies that seem to glide effortlessly, driven by a chaotic, almost comedic energy, but slowly peel back layers of pain, loneliness, and social brutality. He has this rare ability to balance the mundane and the extraordinary, the funny and the devastating, and here he delivers a film that refuses to be just a comedy of errors or a socially conscious drama. The movie pulses with the rhythm of New York, but not the postcard-perfect version-the cold, indifferent city where dreams crumble in dimly lit alleys and cramped apartments. Baker throws us right into this whirlwind, following Anora (Mikey Madison), a character who could have easily been reduced to a stereotype but instead comes alive with an impressive depth and force.

From the very start, Anora isn't framed as a victim or a heroine. She's just a young woman trying to get by, working as a stripper and escort without any grand illusions that her life is about to change dramatically. Baker constructs her routine with precision, pulling us into a world where every little detail matters-the sharp humor between coworkers, the annoying clients, the way she navigates these interactions with a mix of wit and resignation. And then Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) shows up-the Russian playboy who offers the promise of a sudden shift. He's not exactly a Prince Charming-he talks too much, seems lost in his own privilege, and acts like a tourist in his own life-but for Anora, he represents something different, maybe a glimpse of stability. When he proposes, the film swerves away from the obvious, treating it neither as a fairytale nor as a well-planned scheme, but as an inevitable accident, an impulsive decision that spirals into unexpected consequences.

Baker is a filmmaker deeply interested in class dynamics, and Anora plays almost like a study of how wealth shapes (and destroys) relationships. What starts as an improbable romance quickly turns into a lopsided power struggle when Ivan's family finds out about the marriage and does everything in their power to erase it. That's when we meet the clumsy enforcers sent to remove Anora from the equation-tragicomic figures who, just like her, are nothing more than disposable pieces in a bigger game. Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Yura Borisov play this trio brilliantly, swinging between brutality and buffoonery, like they walked straight out of a modern-day Coen brothers' film. But it's in the relationship between Anora and Igor (Borisov) that the film unexpectedly finds its heart. He enters her life as a threat but slowly recognizes something in her that connects them. Baker's direction lets us feel this shift without hammering it in, allowing the characters' evolution to unfold organically.

Drew Daniels' cinematography captures this version of New York in a raw, atmospheric way, evoking a kind of urban cinema that feels like it belongs to a different era-wet streets, hazy neon lights, a texture that's almost tangible. The city isn't just a backdrop; it's a silent character, a space that suffocates and spits out those who can't bend to its ruthless rules. The use of analog film adds another layer of realism, making each scene feel more immediate, like we're peeking into these lives without any filters.

But what truly makes Anora special is Mikey Madison's central performance. She delivers one of the most mesmerizing performances of the year, capturing every nuance of a character who swings between toughness and vulnerability. Madison builds Anora with precise physicality-she moves through the world with the confidence of someone who's learned to protect herself, but there are moments when her body betrays her exhaustion, showing cracks in her armor. The script lets her explore this complexity without falling into clichés, resulting in a protagonist who's never reduced to a symbol or a narrative function.

Overall, Anora is the kind of film that sneaks up on you. It starts as a fast-paced, borderline absurd comedy but gradually morphs into something more melancholic, more human. The violence in the story is never sensationalized but instead lingers in the background, in the way people are discarded and in choices made not out of ambition but out of necessity. By the time we reach the final moment-a blunt, inevitable gut punch that somehow isn't devoid of hope-we realize Baker has taken us somewhere few filmmakers can. He made us laugh, he made us feel the rush of the chase, but more than anything, he made us see the beauty and tragedy in a quiet, invisible struggle that plays out every day in the least glamorous corners of a city that never sleeps.