I didn't like "Anora." Is there something wrong with me?

Be honest. Oh also like spoiler alert and whatever.

I’ve been needing to get this one off my chest.

In May of 2024, film Twitter (I will never call it X) was abuzz with the news of the latest Palme D’Or winner, “a new love story from Sean Baker” called Anora. Immediate Oscar buzz surrounded the film and it’s lead actress Mikey Madison. From the rave reviews from top critics, its 7.5 minute standing ovation, to Cannes audience members tweeting out sprawling letters of admiration calling it a “masterpiece,” Anora rose to the top of many people’s watchlists. Including mine.

On a $6 million budget, the film grossed $33.2 million, becoming Baker’s highest grossing film. It was later named one of the top 10 films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. The film has also been heavily featured in the 2025 awards season, with 5 Golden Globe nominations, 7 Critics Choice nominations, 7 BAFTA nominations and finally, 6 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture.

In case you’ve somehow missed the hype, the film follows Anora, a Brooklyn sex worker who meets and quickly marries Vanya, the young bratty heir to an immensely rich Russian oligarch. We watch as Anora experiences the highs of young love, but also its devastating pitfalls contrasted with her own self-worth journey in a world that seems to see her as an object.

Sean Baker has frequently highlighted and explored sex work in his films. From Tangerine, to Red Rocket, and now Anora, Sean Baker told Variety last year:

“I became friends with [sex workers] and realized there were a million stories from that world…It’s helping remove the stigma that’s been applied to this livelihood, that’s always been applied to this livelihood.”

The only other piece of Baker’s filmography I’d ever seen at this point was Red Rocket, which I hugely loved. It felt like a story anyone could relate too and Simon Rex’s performance is electric as a former porn star. It’s funny, gritty, engaging and even pulls on your heart strings every now and then.

So when I saw people describing his latest outing in a near identical manner, I was ecstatic. And a “star-making” performance from Mikey Madison? I couldn’t believe I’d have to wait until its awards season release in October.

Finally, on November 5th, I walked into my local Regal and sat down to enjoy what was sure to be a masterpiece.

*Side note, I’m pretty sure I was sitting behind Matthew Gray Gubler. Matthew, if you’re reading this let me know if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure it was you. This isn’t important to this piece, just kind of wanted to throw it out there.

Instead, I walked out - frankly - pissed off.

“This is the Palme D’Or winner!?” I shouted at my boyfriend as we exited the theater. “That whole thing was like nails on a fucking chalkboard.” I then went on to post the angriest and messiest letterboxd post I’ve ever put out.

I continued to air all of my many, many grievances on the way home - to his delight I’m sure.

I just couldn’t believe it. To me, nearly everything fell flat. The pacing of the film made me feel as if I had been sitting in that theater for nearly 4 hours. Conversations between characters seemed to repeat themselves constantly, imploring me to wonder if anything was actually going to happen. I didn’t find anyone particularly likable and the script to be plotless and bland. But worst of all - and this is what really killed it for me - Anora just didn’t feel like a person. She never felt whole to me. I didn’t need a long winded backstory, or a scene of her dumping out all her deepest darkest secrets to someone, I just wanted her to feel like a real person.

When I shared my differing opinions with my friends, coworkers, the internet, I had my anger towards the film repackaged and thrown right back at me:

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It’s a beautiful story about humanity, what’s not to love!? - a friend

It’s absolutely insane you wouldn’t like that movie, it’s so joyful and wonderful and Mikey Madison is just amazing. - another friend

Maybe you just don’t like love and joy and humanity. - another friend

It’s literally the best film I’ve seen this year, what the fuck are you talking about!? - a coworker

Everyone I know loves it, so there must be something wrong with you. - my roommate.

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Was there? Was I in a bad mood that day? Had I missed something? Was I not properly paying attention to the film?

Three months later, and Anora dominating the awards season chatter, here I am about to pay $5.99 to rent and rewatch the film. I can’t say I’m excited. But maybe a rewatch was going to show me that I was wrong this whole time. I used to say Dune (2021) was a “boring-ass” film, but on a rewatch, I’m obsessed.

So here goes nothing.

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Welp. I tried.

I will say, I did have a slight change of heart though. This time around, I found myself charmed by Vanya and Anora’s budding relationship (if you can even really call it that). I felt engrossed watching these two talented young actors play off one another, and the pacing of the film really wasn’t halting for me in the way it initially did.

There’s no denying that every actor in this film is doing a phenomenal job. The chemistry between everyone in this ensemble is electrifying and it shines brightly through the screen. Mark Eydelshteyn in particular really shone to me this time around. Vanya consistently acts like a 10 year old in a 20 year old’s body, but yet he’s still hilarious and electric; it’s no wonder Anora becomes so love struck when he sets his eyes on her. Eydelshteyn walks the line between asshole and charismatic idiot perfectly, undoubtedly making him my favorite part of my second watch. Anora and Vanya’s courtship is presented almost fairytale-like; it’s as if nothing could possibly stop them. They’re walking on air, and as an audience member you’re walking with them.

As I was watching, I couldn’t imagine why I was bored or felt so annoyed by the film my first time around. Maybe I truly was a hater of joy.

But after their quickie Vegas wedding, things began to go downhill for me once more.

Fan favorite Igor appears to assist in Toros and Garnik’s mission to dissolve the marriage on behalf of Vanya’s seriously pissed off parents. A scene of absolute insanity ensues as Ani tries to figure out whats going on, Vanya quite literally runs away from his problems and Toros and crew are frantically attempting to understand the situation. This is the first of many scenes that begin to drag on and on. All of a sudden I found myself experiencing the same problems: the script became jumbled. It seemed like everyone was repeating themselves again and again and nothing about the plot was driving forward for long stretches of time. The chase to find Vanya after his eventual escape is a redundant and uninteresting mess that could have been significantly cut down.

Once Vanya is finally found again, I was silently begging the film to “wrap it up.” I believe Baker wants us to feel the anxiety and messiness our characters are experiencing throughout the second and third acts, but instead it reads as empty and hollow.

On a second watch, it became alarmingly clear that for me, this is because our titular character herself is so empty and hollow.

Consistently throughout the film, Anora is put down because of her line of work. At a New Years party some of Vanya’s lackeys say: “Thats the escort thats fucking Ivan!” When Toros, Vanya’s parents right hand man, comes to put a stop to the relationship he shouts: “He’s shamed his family marrying someone like you” and even implies that she probably already has a criminal record. Sex work defines who she is to everyone, and that shared definition in their minds is that she is a shameful and disgusting person.

Igor is supposed to be our voice of reason and the only person that sees Anora as more than her profession. In the fleeting moments we have between the two of them, I kept hoping for more from Anora, but continually got nothing. This is no fault of Mikey Madison, who is truly giving her all on the screen, but rather the fault of a cluttered script that seems to forget its lead actress halfway through. The final scene between these two characters finally delivers what I’d been hoping for. A raw and real moment from Anora where I feel as if I understand exactly what’s going on in her head. But its all just a little too late.

I stumbled upon this Letterboxd review that I feel hits the nail right on the head:

Once Igor appears on screen the movie shifts to his perspective. (Or, in a way, it clarifies the perspective it already had.) Baker expects us to be impressed that Igor views Ani as a human being. He seems to expect the same praise for himself.

I’m not impressed. I’m impressed by his skills as a filmmaker. But I prefer a straight dude voyeur director to spare us the self-righteousness. - Drew Burnett Gregory

I want to quickly bring back this tweet that I mentioned earlier:

This is a totally valid argument, and in fact I agree with them. Anora 100% sees herself as a sex worker and only a sex worker. And although this is true, I don’t think this excuses a lack of depth in our main character. We can still see her in that light while also understanding more of who she might be under the surface. Without any defining characteristics or real attempts at making her feel like a rounded human (as all sex workers are), the whole premise of the movie just falls flat.

Sean Baker’s own words can’t help but ring in my ear:

If there is one intention with all of these films, I would say it’s by telling human stories, by telling stories that are hopefully universal…It’s helping remove the stigma that’s been applied to this livelihood, that’s always been applied to this livelihood.” - Variety

I think that Baker wants us to know that sex work is real work, and what these people decide to do with their bodies is completely up to them. Sex work shouldn’t define them because they are so much more than that. It’s a noble, and in my opinion, important sentiment. However, in choosing not to offer up any real character for Anora, she seemingly is defined by her sex work by Baker and his script. Even the recent release of the Criterion DVD cover has made it hard for me to believe any different:

Theres so much more to say about this film. The intimacy coordinator controversies, Mikey Madison’s weird Actors on Actors with Pamela Anderson, or the fact that Sean Baker and his wife (a producer on the film) would reenact the positions he wanted the actors to make for the film’s “sex shots.”

But that may be for another day.

So I guess all I need to answer now is: is there something wrong with me?

I don’t think so. I mean there is, but it’s not cause I didn’t like Anora. You might disagree with that, but thats ok! We can all disagree and that’s whats so great about movies!!

The intense defense of Anora isn’t new. I myself have ferociously defended a movie getting critiqued online simply because I love it so much too.

(Longlegs I love you no matter what they say babygirl.)

And I know I’m not the only one who was disappointed with Anora (shoutout my girl Kelsey who made me feel sane when she texted me that she was also not a fan). Maybe it’s just me but I think it can feel weird, or vulnerable putting out a negative review of something that’s so beloved. Even as the lights came up on my first Anora watch, I felt almost disappointed in myself. Why was I missing out on the glorious experiences everyone else was having with this film?

Moral of the story, Anora isn’t for me, but I’m so happy everyone got to go to the theater and have that special, mind-opening experience watching this film. Cause thats what its all about.

If you made it to the end of this, you’re crazy for that, but thank you so much for listening to me ramble. I’d love to hear your thoughts on Anora, so please please please let me know.

Until next time:)