Tropic Sprockets / Anora

By Ian Brockway

Director Sean Baker (Red Rocket) has another edgy hit with “Anora.” This film turns the romantic comedy genre into a thriller and subverts expectations of the time honored coming-of age-story. It is riveting from start to finish.

Vanya (Mark Eydelhteyn) is a self-centered son of a rich Russian family. He is addicted to pursuits of pleasure. At a strip club, he meets the non-judgmental and daring sex worker Ani (Mikey Madison) who in turn, is intrigued by Vanya’s nonchalant, devil may care attitude. At first, Ani sees Vanya as only a client, but she is inspired by the young man’s childish spirit and his resistance to social convention.

A connection forms and the two become cemented by their shared personalities. Vanya feels trapped by his domineering parents and doesn’t want to go back to Russia. He is a trust fund kid. Almost as half joke, the young man proposes marriage. Ani accepts. Vanya is over the moon. He transforms into a Jerry Lewis and gets married in Vegas. The couple vibrates with euphoria.

Then there is a knock at the mansion home. Garnik (Vache Tovmasyan) forcibly enters followed by Igor (Yura Borisov). Chaos ensues and understandably so. Ani is a literal vortex of energy. Enter family “fixer” Toros (Karren Karagulian) who is very like character actor Dan Hedaya in “Blood Simple” in an immaculate suit, but things go from very very bad to much much worse. Family turmoil turns into madcap manic violence, cartoonish yet visceral. A goose chase begins.

Eydelhteyn is perfect in his role as a naive hedonist with aspects of Steve Martin and Jerry Lewis, but he is absolutely authentic. Madison is something to behold: a literal force of nature with heart and spirit. The film is hers to command. With has aspects of many genres, it perfectly captures the apprehension and adventure of love, its hopes, and its fears. Better yet, this film has a real quality of joy in suspense coupled with a free spirit. Like life itself there are no absolutes here, only percussive joys, dangers, and confining controls.

Emotions are capricious here as changeable as the weather.

Not since Jonathan Demme’s cultish “Something Wild” (1986) has there been such madcap anxiety and happiness onscreen, albeit tinged by regret.

Write Ian at [email protected]

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