Anora is a 2024 American comedy-drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Sean Baker. It stars Mikey Madison as Anora Mikheeva, a stripper from New York who marries the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch, played by Mark Eydelshteyn. The supporting cast includes Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Darya Ekamasova, and Aleksei Serebryakov.
The film premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024, where it received critical acclaim and won the Palme d'Or. It was released theatrically on October 18, 2024, by Neon. The film grossed $46.7 million worldwide against a $6 million budget, making it Baker's highest-grossing film.
Anora received numerous accolades; it was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. The film led at the 97th Academy Awards, winning five Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Madison), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. It won Best Actress (Madison) and Best Casting (Baker and Samantha Quan) at the 78th British Academy Film Awards.
Synopsis[]
A young escort from Brooklyn meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairy tale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
Plot[]
Anora "Ani" Mikheeva, a 23-year-old stripper, lives in Brighton Beach, a Russian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. Her boss introduces her to Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov, the 21-year-old son of the Russian oligarch Nikolai Zakharov, who requests someone fluent in Russian. Though Vanya is in the U.S. to study, he spends most of his time partying in clubs and playing video games in his family's Brooklyn mansion.
Vanya hires Anora for several sexual encounters and offers her $15,000 to stay with him for a week. During a trip to Las Vegas, he expresses disdain for his parents and Russia, and impulsively proposes. Anora agrees, and they elope at a wedding chapel. She quits her job and moves into Vanya's mansion. When news of their marriage reaches Russia, Vanya's mother, Galina, orders his Armenian godfather, Toros, to find them and arrange an annulment while she and Nikolai fly to the U.S.
Toros sends his henchmen, Garnik and Igor, to the mansion. They inform Vanya that his parents are taking him back to Russia and enrage Anora by calling her a prostitute and suggesting Vanya only married her for a green card. Vanya escapes, and Anora fights Garnik and Igor before they subdue and restrain her. When Toros arrives, he lectures Anora about Vanya's immaturity and financial reliance on his father. He confiscates her wedding ring, gags her, and offers her $10,000 for the annulment. Anora insists she and Vanya are in love but agrees to help find him.
Anora, Toros, Garnik, and Igor search Brooklyn. Anora learns from friends that Vanya is at her former strip club, being entertained by a dancer. They find him intoxicated and force him to wait outside the courthouse until morning. The annulment is dismissed since the marriage occurred in Nevada.
At the airport, Anora introduces herself to Nikolai and Galina in Russian, but Galina rejects her. Vanya, conceding to his parents, tells Anora their marriage is impossible, and Galina orders everyone onto a plane to Las Vegas. Having not signed a prenuptial agreement, Anora pledges to file for a divorce settlement, but Galina threatens her with financial ruin if she does not agree. Realizing Vanya's spinelessness and his family's power, Anora signs the papers. Igor suggests Vanya apologize, but Galina refuses. Anora insults them both before leaving, telling Galina that Vanya married her to rile his mother.
Igor takes Anora back to New York to collect her belongings. At the mansion, she confronts Igor about their encounter, accusing him of assault and saying he would have raped her if they had been alone. The next morning, Igor gives Anora the money and drives her home. In the car, he returns her wedding ring. Anora initiates sex with him but stops when he tries to kiss her; she breaks down, sobbing in his arms.
Cast[]
- Mikey Madison as Anora "Ani" Mikheeva[4]
- Paul Weissman as Nick
- Yura Borisov as Igor
- Lindsey Normington as Diamond
- Emily Weider as Nikki
- Luna Sofía Miranda (credited as Luna Sofia Miranda) as Lulu
- Vincent Radwinsky as Jimmy
- Brittney Rodriguez as Dawn
- Sophia Carnabuci as Jenny
- Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov[5]
- Anton Bitter as Tom
- Ella Rubin as Vera
- Ross Brodar as Mansion Day Guard
Videos[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ Anora (18). British Board of Film Classification (September 9, 2024).
- ↑ Anora (2024).
- ↑ Anora (2024).
- ↑ Canfield, David (May 23, 2024). "The "Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity" of Cannes Darling 'Anora'". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ↑ Anora. Neon.