⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Anora really caught me off guard. And not in the way I expected.
About halfway through, I genuinely thought, wait… is this a comedy? Because the first half plays things pretty straight — almost grim at times — before the movie completely shifts gears and becomes far funnier than I was prepared for.
The opening stretch is heavy on sex scenes and dramatic elements, following Annie, a stripper who feels mentally trapped in her life and desperately wants out. I’ll be upfront: sex scenes in movies just aren’t for me. They make me uncomfortable, and more often than not they feel unnecessary — like nudity for the sake of nudity rather than something meaningful to the story. That made the first half a bit of a barrier for me, even though I understood what the film was trying to establish.
Once the movie hits around the 40-minute mark, though, things start to click. Everything that came before suddenly has context. To me, Anora is really about a woman chasing an escape — not just from her job, but from the identity and expectations that come with it. Annie isn’t always likable, and I don’t think she’s meant to be. But you absolutely understand her desperation once she glimpses a version of life that feels safe, glamorous, and permanent.
Mikey Madison is fantastic here. She carries the entire film, balancing vulnerability, attitude, frustration, and chaos in a way that feels raw and believable. Even when I didn’t connect with the character on a personal level, I never doubted the performance. She sells every emotional turn the movie asks of her.
The second half leans hard into dark comedy, bordering on absurd at times, and that’s where the film really found its footing for me. The tonal shift won’t work for everyone, but I appreciated how bold it was. It turns what initially feels like a straightforward drama into something more unpredictable and strange.
That said, while I think Anora is a story worth telling and a film worth seeing, it’s not something I’d revisit. Once the journey is over, I don’t feel the pull to experience it again — even with such a strong lead performance.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Anora surprised me, challenged me, and occasionally made me laugh when I least expected it to. It’s well-acted and thoughtfully made, but despite appreciating what it’s doing, it’s a one-and-done experience for me.
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