Peter Charney’s review published on Letterboxd:
It’s not unreasonable to claim Sean Baker as the prime example of a contemporary auteur, with each film in his oeuvre seemingly in conversation with every other. His latest film, Anora, blends elements from across his earlier works while offering a more accessible experience on a slightly larger filmmaking scale. It’s arguably his most meticulously manufactured plot, yet it still retains his signature naturalistic sensibilities, particularly in his grounded and empathetic portrayals of socioeconomic outcasts.
Anora’s first act brims with energy, centered on the day-to-day work life of dancers at a strip club and the comedy that quickly emerges from a young Russian client, who is obviously out of his depth, but has access to a seemingly endless stream of cash. Instead of turning the clear wealth polarity into the predictable opportunism, Baker crafts a more distinct arc for Ani where she genuinely believes she can be sustainably desired by someone for more than just her body. This charming series of affairs culminates in a standout montage, set to a vibrant soundtrack, that rivals the most exhilarating sequences in Baker’s previous films, showcasing a new side of his editorial strengths.
Following this mid-way emotional high point, where most romantic comedies might end in a comfortable paradise, the film’s second half crashes into harsher reality. This section of the film starts to feel slightly repetitive, as it abandons the tight pacing of the earlier scenes and shifts away from Anora’s subjective perspective into a more objective one, placing her more in the passenger seat of the plot. Though Baker controls the film’s slightly eccentric tone, the immediate goofiness of his antagonists weakens any real stakes. However, this narrative shift also creates space for a subtle, underlying relationship to emerge—one that becomes the true emotional core of the film.
Sean Baker has a rare gift for capturing the sense of entrapment within a fractured American dream and the deep care that exists between those who inhabit its margins. In the final shot of Anora, Baker holds on a remarkable moment of physical acting from Mikey Madison. Without uttering a word, she conveys a watershed moment so profoundly human that it recontextualizes the entire story that came before. While my favorite Sean Baker films settle into this level of intimate vulnerability more regularly throughout, the few moments when Anora does drop into it are unforgettably special.
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