And like Garry Marshalls rose-colored romantic comedy, it nails the casting part to a tee.
Meet Anora, though everyone calls her Ani.
As played byMikey Madison(more on her in a moment), Ani doesnt invite pity or envy.
Mark Eydelshteyn and Mikey Madison in ‘Anora.‘NEON
Shes just another woman working the V.I.P.
show them some fucking respect.
(He wouldnt evenconsiderher playlist!)
Still, one lap with cash-filled pockets is as good as the next.
The guys name is Vanya Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), but everyone calls him Ivan.
Ani gives him the special not allowed treatment in a private room.
God bless America, he replies in awe.
Soon, shes visiting him in his mansion, giving him a lot of one-on-one attention.
Ivan acts like the worlds horniest puppy dog, but Ani takes a shine to him.
The pillow talk gets a little more personal.
But Ivan doesnt want her to go.
Themalchikmakes an offer: Let me purchase your company for a week.
They negotiate a fee.
He gets a beautiful young woman on his arm and in his bed.
She gets to live like a queen for seven days.
The object of his affection is still hired help.
The week is almost up.
The rich kid and the stripper get hitched in a chapel off the strip.
And they are not the slightest bit pleased that their baby boy has gone off and married some Brooklynshlyukha.
Toros sends his brother, Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan), and thug-for-hire named Igor (Compartment No.
6s Yuri Borisov) to keep the happy couple on lockdown until the marriage can be annulled.
When Ivan finds out his folks are flying in from Moscow, however, the lad bolts.
WhenAnorawon the grand prize atCannesthis year, Baker dedicated the award to sex workers past, present and future.
Forget empowerment by billionaire patrons.
The writer-director gives these unsung, oft-judged heroes of labor empowerment via empathy and representation.
This role ups said impact level on viewers to seismic.
Its not an alter-ego so much as a suit of armor.
Her character is frequently unclothed but never truly, vulnerably naked.
Madison gives you 100-percent of this on a fake silver platter, dressed up in real Russian sables.
She exits stage left as an above-the-title star.
Baker begins to seed early on that Igor is not the coldblooded brute he might appear to be.
Borisov adds to this notion by giving what you think is a standard-issuegopnika sensitive-soul vibe.
All of which leads to an ending that doubles as a cathartic exhalation.
Then the mask drops.
Everything is transactional in this world of love and anarchy, war and punch-cards.
