Anora (2024)

Wow. This is on the one hand a story you might think you have heard before. "Pretty Woman with a more realistic ending" or "Cinderella Russian style", but for me it is another "Life on the Margins" story by the director-writer who brought us another gem in this genre, The Florida Project. The title character, a vivacious Russian-American named Ani (short for Anora), she is doing exotic dancing and sex work, which is a matter-of-fact livelihood for her. She isn’t waiting around for a knight in shining armor to whisk her away from the club she works at. She just goes about her business with her clientele, and bickers with the other girls in the same profession—some, her genuine friends, and others, her rivals. Along comes Ivan, the prodigal son of a Russian oligarch, who looks and acts like he is in high school. He enlists Ani’s services one night and the two hit it off rapidly. She becomes his American fantasy, and he becomes her generous high-roller, bringing her out to his giant seaside mansion in Brooklyn for a fancy New Year’s Eve party and other affairs. It isn't until they get married that things start the unraveling process, a tragi-comedy that doesn't make the oligarchs look any better than you would imagine.