PART ONE: The Viewing at SF Alamo Drafthouse

I really liked Anora. This was the film that changed how I saw Sean Baker: from someone I thought was “pretty good” to someone I genuinely like. I had seen Tangerine and The Florida Project, so I had a general sense of his style. I hadn’t seen Red Rocket yet. If I had, I probably would have been more mentally prepared that day. At the screening, Sean Baker was there with his wife, who is also his producer. There was a Q&A session before the film started. At first, I thought it was kind of boring, but looking back, it did reveal a few interesting things. I’ll come back to that later.

I knew Tangerine was famously shot on an iPhone, and it ended up winning a Sundance award. When I watched The Florida Project, I thought it was a solid film, but I still saw him as just another interesting indie director. I didn’t look into his creative motivations, recurring themes, family background, or his sense of mission as a filmmaker. After watching Anora, I went and read everything about him.

The film opens with a striking scene. The camera glides through a neon-lit strip club, passing by a row of naked performers giving lap dances. The music playing is that kind of millennial-coded EDM you used to hear in every American club in the 2010s. Then the camera lands on Mikey Madison, and the title “Anora” appears on screen in Aguafina Script—the same font Baker has used in several of his previous films, and clearly one of his favorites. I had no idea this was going to be a film about a sex worker, and I appreciated the straightforward approach. I was immediately hooked.

You could tell Mikey Madison spent a lot of time understanding what it’s like to work as a stripper. If I remember correctly, the production team set the stage and background actors first, then let her interact with them freely. Both her performance and the way it was captured on camera felt very authentic. Sean Baker writes his scripts loosely. There’s a lot of room for improvisation. All the small, spontaneous details helped build a strong sense of realism, intimacy, and modern life.The transition to shots of New York’s streets showed Ani after her shift. The tone was cold and dark. A bleak winter morning in New York. She looked exhausted and completely indifferent to life.

When Ivan proposed to Ani, she didn’t take it seriously. She said, don’t cheat me with that shit, it ain’t cool.

Ani: So you wanna get married to me, vanya? You want me to be your little wifey? 
Ivan: Yes, I just think we had a great time together, and…   shit I’m nervous, I’ll say it in Russian.  
Ivan: (in russian) I think we would have a great time, even if I didn’t have money . 
Ivan: And I will become American, and my parents can suck my dick.  

Looking at Ani’s face, she clearly didn’t believe him. The expression was, are you serious? You’d marry me? That’s absurd.

Ani: Are you serious? 

When the camera cut to Ivan’s face, I was unexpectedly moved. At that moment, I believed him. Even if it was a little naive or uncertain, I believed he meant it.

Ivan: I am serious. And I said it twice already. 
Anora: (a beat) three carats. 
Ivan: What about four? What about five? What about six?

PART TWO: The Marriage

The scenes where they get married at the Little White Chapel were some of the most romantic Hollywood rom-com moments I’ve seen in the last decade. It was sweet, American, and exactly my type of romance. For a while, I thought this would be another Pretty Woman-style comedy. I wasn’t sure where the story would go next. But that was only the beginning. Two weeks after the wedding, Ivan’s parents found out. They decided to fly to the U.S. immediately and ordered Toros, Ivan’s godfather, to take Ivan and Anora straight to court to annul the marriage.

Anora and Ivan were lounging in the living room, completely unaware that Toros’s two guys were already at the door, laughing and relaxed. When they opened the door with a key to Ivan’s place, it was the first time Anora realized things were not as simple as they seemed. The moment Ivan found out his parents were on a plane, he left the apartment in a panic, not even waiting for Anora to finish getting dressed. There was a brief scuffle between Anora and Igor. It worked well. That scene showed a tougher, bolder, more defiant side of Anora that hadn’t been visible before. It also hinted at Igor’s concern for her and revealed his gentle, good-natured character.

In this part, Toros’s confrontation with Anora highlighted just how powerless she was in the situation. She was restrained. Her voice was silenced. But she refused to cooperate. Toros spoke down to her and told her she didn’t understand love or marriage. He believed he did. He said love was deep and lasting, and marriage was about responsibility and long-term plans. I think he was right. But who’s to say that young love isn’t love? Who’s to say a spontaneous marriage isn’t a marriage? Life is already absurd enough. Why make it more serious than it needs to be? Throughout the scenes where they searched for Ivan, the theme of “marriage” kept resurfacing. What is a marriage, really? Is legal status enough? Does it require parental blessing? How does a marriage like this get interpreted by others in public space?

In contrast to Ivan running away, Igor stayed by Anora’s side. Even after the marriage was annulled, he awkwardly asked Ivan’s parents to apologize to her. Meanwhile, Anora went from refusing to bow to Toros, to still hoping to make a good impression when she finally met Ivan’s parents. She smiled, hoping to win their favor, but quickly realized they saw her as nothing more than a sex worker who had led their son astray. She didn’t give up. Watching her fight for her future made my heart ache. Ivan, who had refused to speak the entire time, finally responded when Anora begged him on the way to the court. He said, of course, are you stupid?

By the end of the film, Anora was back at Ivan’s house for one last night, this time under Igor’s protection. The marriage had been annulled. She would have to pack her things and leave the next day. It seemed like everything was returning to its original path. But somehow, it wasn’t the same anymore. Now she knew Igor. And Igor knew her.

PART THREE: Igor and Anora

True love often arrives quietly, in plain and unexpected ways. When Igor first appeared, Anora was full of hostility. She bit, kicked, and lashed out. Even two large men couldn’t contain her. Tables and chairs were knocked over. It was chaos. Igor met her on his birthday, but spent the entire day helping her and Toros look for Ivan. Once they found him, they flew straight to Vegas to finalize the annulment. Igor stayed with her throughout. The camera stopped focusing just on Anora and Ivan. It became a trio. Anora, Igor, and Ivan. Igor watched as Ivan ignored Anora, over and over. He saw how others disrespected her. He didn’t say anything. He just sat there quietly. He waited, watched, and occasionally handed her a scarf, a coat, even a drink. And yet, Anora remained guarded. She lashed out. She even said that if no one else were around, maybe he’d try to rape her. Igor just laughed. Anora, who always seemed rough around the edges, finally realized—it was Igor, not Ivan.

I liked her. She wasn’t perfect, but she wasn’t broken either. She was just a regular person trying to live. Sharp and clever when she worked. Clueless and messy when it came to her feelings. Even when love stood right in front of her, she didn’t recognize it. But she was still lovable. Her determination, her stubbornness, her refusal to back down, her way of defending herself—she was sincere, vivid, intense, and real. She was layered. She got angry. She got soft. She was stubborn and discouraged. She tried hard and got disappointed. She was humiliated. She exploded. But she still chose to believe in herself, in the future, in love. She didn’t think she was worthy, but she still wanted to try. Just a little more effort. Maybe I can do it too. That version of her was beautiful. So beautiful I couldn’t look away. So beautiful I felt guilty for looking. Her honesty made my own dishonesty stand out. Would she look down on me? Should I be a better person so I can be closer to her? She made me want to cherish her. But I was also afraid she would hate me. That kind of her wouldn’t just be loved by Igor or Ivan. I think many people would fall in love with someone like Anora. And in truth, I think we all know someone like her.