Anora

"Anora, winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, is the crowning achievement of director Sean Baker (The Florida Project) as one of the filmmakers that best portray life on the margins of U.S. society with sensitivity and empathy. The titular character (the sensational Mikey Madison, from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) is a sex worker destined to meet Ivan, or "Vanya" (Mark Eidelstein), the son of very, very wealthy Russian oligarchs. What begins as a transactional relationship full of fun and excesses soon turns into a whirlwind of love (or what Anora believes is love, at least), leading to a Cinderella story that, sooner rather than later, is caught up by a complex reality. Madison as the lead and Baker as both director and screenwriter have the skill to create something that seems fun on the surface due to the excesses and misadventures of their chaotic, incompatible characters. However, in the nuances and subtleties of direction and performance, the fragility of a tragic yet sympathetic character is revealed. The director doesn't judge the protagonist for her illusions but directs our judgment toward those who turn the world into their playground at will. Undoubtedly one of the most powerful films of the year and the decade so far."