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Cannes-Winning Anora Director on Mixing Genres: ‘I Love Tonal Jumps. I Love Roller Coasters.’
Sep
Sean Baker’s latest film, Anora, subtitled “A Love Story,” is set to take audiences on a thrilling ride through a mashup of genres. Known for his poignant explorations of social issues, such as in 2017’s The Florida Project, Baker continues to push boundaries in storytelling. But in Anora, he promises something new: a film that starts like a romantic comedy and spirals into something much darker.
Starring Mikey Madison as the title character, Anora follows a Brooklyn sex worker who goes by “Ani” as she embarks on a whirlwind romance with Ivan (Mark Eydelshtyn), the son of a Russian oligarch. For Ani, this relationship offers the tantalizing possibility of leaving her old life behind. “With access to that kind of international wealth, she’d never have to give another lap dance again,” Baker says, touching on themes of the American Dream.
Madison, speaking to Entertainment Weekly from the Telluride Film Festival, is quick to dispel any cynicism around Ani’s motivations. “I think she actually is quite hopeful in a lot of ways,” Madison explains. “She sees this opportunity to have this fairy-tale relationship, and she just takes it because why not? I also think she feels like, ‘Well, of course this would happen to me.’”
But this love story is only the beginning. What starts as a romantic comedy soon morphs into something much more unpredictable. Baker is no stranger to genre-bending, and with Anora, he wanted to explore the limits of tonal shifts. “I love tonal jumps. I love roller coasters,” Baker tells EW. “It does throw an audience off sometimes if suddenly they’re slapped with a tonal shift, but I was very interested in covering different genres with this movie.”
For the first 50 minutes, Anora feels like a light-hearted romp, complete with a soundtrack that includes Take That’s “The Greatest Day” — the type of song you’d expect in a classic romantic comedy. But as Ani and Vanya’s relationship deepens, the story flips. “We give you a romantic comedy for the first 50 minutes,” Baker says, “and then we give you another 90 minutes of reality.”
As Ani tries to navigate her new life among the super-rich, the film introduces new layers of action, slapstick comedy, and drama. While Ani’s life has been about pulling herself up by her bootstraps through hard-earned dollars, Vanya and his world operate on inherited wealth and privilege. As their marriage becomes public, new players with ulterior motives enter the scene, complicating Ani’s dream of escaping her old life.
For Baker, sex workers have always been integral to his films, with Anora continuing that theme. However, the director is optimistic about a broader acceptance of stories like this in Hollywood. “I think that the industry itself is more empathetic,” Baker says. He emphasizes the importance of portraying characters with flaws. “You have to see where the person unfortunately fumbles because that’s what makes them human, and that’s what makes us root for them.”
With a mix of romance, action, and darker undertones, Anora promises to be a genre-defying experience. Whether audiences and the Academy embrace its complex storytelling remains to be seen, but Baker is confident in its ability to connect with viewers. “I can’t wait for people to see it,” he says.
Anora hits theaters on October 18.
