2025 Best Picture Winner Review: Anora

by Robert Chica

Background:

The Academy Awards aired March 2nd, around two weeks ago, and Anora was the big winner of the night. Winning five out of its six nominations, winning Best Film Editing (Sean Baker), Best Original Screenplay (Sean Baker), Best Director (Sean Baker), Best Actress In A Leading Role (Mikey Madison), and Best Picture, also nominated was Yura Borisov for Best Supporting Actor. The film gained massive praise from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival after winning the highest prestige award at the festival, the Palme d'Or. After that enormous win, the movie became something to keep on everyone's radar. It was released on October 18, 2024, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews for the directing, acting, pacing, and comedic elements. It was also directed by a relatively under-appreciated director, Sean Baker, who directed films like The Florida Project (2017) and Red Rocket (2021), where the films were loved by their slim audiences and critics. The film has gone on to win numerous accolades including the highest film prestige of the year,

Plot Summary:

The film follows Anora, an adult dancer from Brooklyn, whose dreams of being wealthy start to come true when she meets and marries a Russian socialite's son living in America. But when his parents threaten her fairytale, she must fight for her marriage not to be annulled.

Review:

Anora proved itself to be possibly the best film to come out in 2024. After its release at the 2024 Canes Film Festival, the film became something to keep on my radar earlier in 2024. The chaotic and clever storytelling captivates you the entire time. When the film has a high in comedy, it is a major high, and when it decides to tug at your heartstrings, it does that without an issue. Given the plot, it doesn't shy from being raunchy.

The Acting

Sean Baker understands that the characters he creates are some of the most well-rounded in modern cinema, leaving little mystery about their motivations or inner worlds. Mikey Madison, who plays Ani, brings these characters to life with remarkable passion and a gift for conveying the depth of her character's humanity. Madison may be familiar to viewers from her smaller, memorable roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and Scream (2022). Though her parts in those films were brief, she made an impression by convincingly portraying intense and psychotic characters. In Anora, however, she demonstrates a broader range beyond playing "the psycho." She has proven herself as one of the best newer actresses to come out of this decade.

Two new faces for American audiences, Yura Borisov and Mark Eidelstein shine as supporting actors. Standing out is challenging in this film, where lead actress Mikey Madison occupies 99% of the screen time. Nevertheless, these two actors deliver standout performances as opposites: Borisov plays Igor, a quiet but kind bodyguard tasked with caring for Ani while his bosses handle Eidelstein’s character, Vanya. Eidelstein plays a wild young man living in America on his father’s money, with impeccable comedic timing that, along with witty dialogue, makes for a raunchy, chaotic performance. However, in my opinion, Yura Borisov’s understated role is the stronger of the two. His grounded, modest portrayal allows Ani’s character to feel cared for during her annulment journey, adding balance to the film.

Directing, Writing & Editing

In Anora, the highly anticipated mainstream breakthrough for acclaimed indie filmmaker Sean Baker showcases his mastery in creating films that only get better with each addition to his filmography. Once again pulling triple duty, writer, editor and director, Baker demonstrates his peak form here. The film is filled with long takes, montages, emotional scenes, and slapstick full body humor that all blend seamlessly. Every joke lands as intended, an achievement that eludes many films as they age or even upon release. While Anora places a priority on humor, the film also knows when to dial it back for more melodramatic moments—and Baker nails these shifts every time. Along with these points, Baker also runs the editing room and balances this fast-paced film, which is a hard task to pull off, let alone while also writing and directing the film.

Overall

Anora is an absolute triumph in all aspects, I have tried to find something negative about the film for a few days now and can't find anything I disliked. Baker's astonishing directing, creative and original story paired with Madison showed us the birth of generational talent with this performance, and along with those two supporting performances that are perfectly layered along with their ability to serve purpose show Yura Borisov and Mark Eidelstein's ranges and a pair of fresh new faces for North American audiences. The film is fast-paced, addicting to watch, and is not afraid to show you more than you want. This is by far one of the best films released in 2024 and never gets boring. Now do I think the film deserved Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards? Time will tell if the film holds up in quality and jokes land years from now, but all we know is that Mikey Madison, Yura Borisov, Mark Eidelstein, and Sean Baker all will be people to look out for for years to come.

Rating: 10/10