The Oscar for best picture was won for “Anora,” a tragic Cinderella tale set in the murky modern world of Russian billionaires, incompetent gangsters, and New York strippers.
US independent filmmaker Sean Baker’s film, which combines a nuanced portrayal of sex work with emotional heartache and audience-pleasing farce, won the Academy Award nominations for best picture.
Anora, which was filmed for a paltry $6 million, overcame any lingering reservations about its racy and divisive subject matter, winning five awards out of six, including best director and best original screenplay, at the Hollywood gala.
In accepting the night’s top prize, Baker said, “I want to thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film.” “This movie was created by incredible indie artists’ blood, sweat, and tears.”
Long live independent film, please.
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Following its world premiere in May of last year, “Anora” made its Oscar nominations at the Cannes film festival, where it won the Palme d’Or.
Since Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” in 2011, it was the first American film to receive the top prize at the prestigious French film gathering.
Baker’s success in earning an Oscar in his native country was not without doubt.
His earlier films about sex work, such as “Red Rocket” from 2021, received positive reviews from foreign critics and arthouse audiences, but they fell flat in the US multiplexes.
When “Anora” couldn’t even claim a single prize at the Golden Globes in January, it appeared to be losing steam.
However, amid controversy that surrounded rival films like “Emilia Perez,” “Anora” quietly cultivated word-of-mouth acclaim, earning almost $40 million worldwide.
And it made a decisive comeback last month when it received significant prizes from Hollywood’s producer, director, writer, and critic guilds.
The most significant prize of the US movie industry was a rare movie that was almost universally admired, from a director finally receiving his due.
Sexy work
Baker’s fifth movie to address sex work is “Anora,” which opens at a New York strip club.
Many of the actors in his films are real-life erotic dancers who both dance on screen and give advice to the directors on everything from slang to typical interactions with customers.
One stripper blasted the stripper, “He said I looked like his 18-year-old daughter and then he bought me five dances.”
The protagonist, Ani (Oscar winner Mikey Madison), replies, “Well, at least he bought the dances.”
Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), a batty and incredibly wealthy Russian customer, makes a sudden detour to Las Vegas to get married on foot.
As the action travels back to New York, any preconceived notions of “Pretty Woman” quickly vanish.
Ivan flees, and a group of furious and violent hoodlums led by Karren Karagulian’s Toros must restrain a furious and violent Ani because his parents have learned of his romantic antics.
Baker’s first scene for “Anora” was this iconic set piece.
The original idea for “Anora” was Karagulian, who met Baker at the university in the 1990s and has since appeared in several of his films.
The pair had long discussions over a project that would be set in Brighton Beach, a vibrant Russian immigrant community in Karagulian’s native New York.
Heartbreak and humor
Baker frequently incorporates humor into his movies, making his neo-realist filmmaking a top priority.
And he wrote “Anora,” a wild-goose-chase hunt for Ivan with elements of screwball farce, inarguably his most comedic sequence to date.
“I’m trying to convey a truth, and I typically show as true as I can.” And that almost always requires humor, Baker later told AFP.
“Because we occasionally cope with humor. When we’re the saddest, we occasionally laugh.
Ani sees her dream of a means-based marriage come to an end in the movie, which allows her feisty, hypersexualized mask to slip, at least for a brief and heartbreakingly vulnerable moment.
Baker and Madison have used their numerous acceptance speeches to promote the destigmatization and decriminalization of sex work throughout the entire awards season.
When Baker accepted the award for the best original screenplay on Sunday, Baker thanked the audience for their stories and personal experiences. My sincere gratitude.
Madison echoed Madison’s statement, “One of the highlights of this entire incredible experience has been the incredible women I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community.”
“I’ll continue to be a supporter and ally.”
Source: Channels TV
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