The story of Cinderella can be traced all the way back to the 17th century — even further, into ancient times, if you look for patterns of a simple story about a poor girl becoming fabulous and beloved overnight.
So when you hear “Anora” described as a modern-day Cinderella tale — an idea that the characters themselves allude to halfway through the story — it may not seem like the film warrants much special attention, never mind the coveted Palme d’Or awarded to it at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May.
Despite touching on age-old themes, though, the latest work from writer and director Sean Baker is far more than a glorified fairy tale retelling glammed up for awards season. With “Anora,” Baker treats viewers to a brilliant screenplay, boldly kitted out with talent and technical flair unmatched among any of its silver-screen contemporaries this year.
In this story, Anora (Mikey Madison) — though she prefers to go by Ani — has her tedious life as a sex worker upended when she impulsively marries Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), a filthy-rich young Russian who grows boyishly smitten with her. As Ivan’s hyper-influential family steps into the picture, though, Ani is left to face the limits of her new husband’s love — as well as those of her supposed dream scenario.
The resulting film is noticeably split between two extremes; not only does the story’s flowing, glitzy montage of a first half suddenly come to a grinding halt, but cinematographer Drew Daniels ensures that the film’s visual language shackles viewers to the crushing reality of Anora’s predicament.
This dichotomous story structure makes for a spectacular one-two punch — even if you might not feel the impact of the first hit until the second fist has already connected with your jawbone.
The decision to leave the audience stranded in such weightlessness for so long is a gamble — one that might lose some viewers’ focus just as the story shifts into high gear.
As a character study, though, the breezy first half does a marvelous job of distracting us from the very character we’re supposed to be studying. Ani’s life doesn’t slow down long enough for any of her clients, friends or coworkers to get to know her, and neither do we.
This gives us the unique experience of finishing out a full story with only half a main character, a bizarre and entirely mesmerizing feat of screenwriting genius. The way that the story moves with Anora is so seamless, so nuanced, that its ultimately devastating impact will hang over you much like the film hangs on Anora herself.
And yet, even when the story’s grand design is out of view, the vivid circumstances under which it’s told often validate the story’s extravagant swings anyway.
With each new scene, Baker manages to capture not only the sights and sounds of the characters’ surroundings, but also the deeper emotional and contextual headspace with which they view them.
A hopeless argument on a sunny airstrip; an uncomfortably long walk down a twilight boardwalk; a mundane, flirty conversation amidst a sea of dreamy, neon-lit faces; in every moment of the story, the film’s staunch visual language and technical confidence all but demand viewers to experience the film more personally.
On the flip side, it’s hard to get more personal than the soul that Mikey Madison brings to her starring role.
Though all of her more complex material may lay in the second half, Madison’s quiet consistency throughout is the crux on which the story leans — though her performance is so authentic and unwavering that you’d hardly notice as such while watching.
Mark Eydelshteyn, too, sells his dual role as both an impish Prince Charming and pathetic wash-up, a multilayered performance that likewise shoulders the story’s burden while also being given the chance to shine through in a big way near the end.
The biggest trick up the film’s sleeve, though, is Yura Borisov as Igor, one of the simple family thugs sent to set Ivan straight. He quickly expands from an enjoyable background highlight to a clear scene-stealer in a transformation that gives the impression of the film reading your mind while, in reality, you read it.
The dynamic between Igor and Ani hits at the very heart of “Anora” — the struggle between the working-class everyman and the disconnected upper echelon who stride above commonplace issues, either in opulent romanticism or in bumbling destruction.
Its thematic identity and visual style may not be a strident departure from past Palme d’Or winners like last year’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” but Baker proves that there’s room to surprise, entertain and gut-punch viewers within that already-effective mold.
It’s a fascinating story that the Cinderellas of old should be proud to have paid inspiration to; the fact that such a tale is explored in vignettes that showcase rich lighting, confident camerawork and a formidable budget is just icing on that fairy tale cake.
“Anora” releases wide in theaters on Friday, Nov. 1.
Kevin Lynch can be reached at lync1832@stthomas.edu.