--- title: "Anora" year: 2024 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/anora" fi1m_id: "anora" imdb_id: "tt28607951" tmdb_id: 1064213 wikidata_id: "Q123185887" fi1m_score: 84 critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 18 published: "2026-09-09" updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:57.585958+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Anora (2024) Directed by Sean Baker · 2h 19m · MPA R · Drama, Comedy, Romance ## Identity Anora - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/anora - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** anora - **IMDb ID:** tt28607951 - **TMDB ID:** 1064213 - **Wikidata ID:** Q123185887 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28607951/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1064213, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123185887 **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 86 from 18 reviews *In a sentence:* Cinderella, if the prince’s parents sent three tired men round to take the slipper back > Sean Baker’s comedy about a Brooklyn stripper who marries an oligarch’s son is fast, loud and much funnier than its premise suggests, and Mikey Madison carries every minute of it. The middle hour runs about twenty minutes long. We recommend it anyway. ## Synopsis Ani (Mikey Madison) dances at a strip club in Brooklyn and is sent over to a customer because she speaks some Russian. He is Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch, living alone in a mansion by the water with a games console and nobody watching him. He hires her for a week of parties, and the week ends with a wedding. When his parents find out, they send Toros (Karren Karagulian), the family’s fixer in New York, with Garnik (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) to have the marriage undone. Sean Baker writes, directs and edits. ## Review Ani (Mikey Madison) works at a strip club in Brooklyn and is fetched over to a booth because she speaks some Russian. Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) is the son of a Russian oligarch, and lives alone in a mansion by the water with a games console and no supervision. He hires her for a week, the week ends with a marriage, and then his parents find out. Sean Baker wrote, directed and edited *Anora*, and it is very good: the funniest thing he has made, with one clear flaw, which is that it is 139 minutes long and about twenty of those are the same scene. The first stretch is the courtship, and Baker the editor cuts it as one long rush of parties, a jet, fireworks and a bed. Drew Daniels keeps the camera on Ani rather than on the money, so she is the thing you look at in every room. Stephen Phelps’s production design makes Ivan’s house look bought rather than lived in, and Jocelyn Pierce’s costumes tell you who has money before anyone speaks. Then Toros (Karren Karagulian), sent by Ivan’s family to deal with the marriage, arrives with Garnik (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov). What happens in that sitting room is the funniest sustained stretch we have sat through in a long while. Ani does not go quietly. Somebody’s nose goes, somebody is bitten, a lamp does not survive, and Baker holds the shots long enough that the men’s exhaustion becomes part of the joke. We laughed for the better part of twenty minutes, and somewhere in the middle we noticed that Ani was frightened and had been for a while, and the laughing stopped being comfortable. Baker does not underline this. He lets it sit. Madison plays Ani loud and quick, Brooklyn vowels at full volume, and never once asks us to feel sorry for her. Her best moments are the half-seconds in which she decides whether to charm somebody or hit them. Eydelshteyn plays Ivan as a boy: he backflips onto beds, treats everything as a game he can quit, and is on his phone whenever anyone wants something from him. Borisov, as Igor, says almost nothing and watches everything, and his is the performance we kept looking at when the others were shouting. The flaw is the middle hour, a night spent driving round the city and asking questions in shops and restaurants. Baker the editor is less strict than Baker the director. Toros shouting into a phone, Garnik holding his face, Ani telling everyone exactly what she thinks of them: each is funny the first time and still funny the second, and by the fourth we were checking the time. Darya Ekamasova and Aleksey Serebryakov arrive late as Ivan’s parents and are excellent and brief, and we wanted more of them and less of the car. Baker has spent his career on people who sell some part of themselves, in *Tangerine* and *Red Rocket* among others, and this is his most straightforwardly entertaining film. It is [*Pretty Woman*](https://film.one/film/pretty-woman) with the sums shown. Everyone here has a price, Ani included, and the film neither sneers at that nor pretends it is romantic. The last scene, which we will not describe, is done almost without dialogue, and it left us silent in a way two hours of noise had not prepared us for. It is an 18 certificate and it earns it in the first half hour, where the sex is frequent and filmed as work rather than as spectacle. See it with someone who laughs out loud, and skip the trailers if you can, because they give away most of the sitting room. *Fi1m score 84, published 9 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are unusually of one mind. All eighteen are positive, and the lowest sits only a little below the rest, so the spread is narrow. The praise clusters on Mikey Madison, whom most critics describe as a star-making lead: brash, fiery and vulnerable underneath, and the reason the film stays sympathetic through its noisier stretches. Sean Baker’s direction draws the next warmest notices, particularly his blend of screwball comedy with a humane character study, and the long home-invasion sequence is picked out more than once as the set piece. Several critics point to the final scene as the moment the farce gives way to something sobering. Reservations are few and mild: The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap both think it runs long, and Little White Lies feels it loses its way slightly in the second half. Deadline is the coolest of the group, though still clearly approving. ## Straight answers **Is Anora worth watching?** *Anora* is worth watching for anyone who wants a loud, fast comedy with a hard edge, and we scored it 84. Mikey Madison carries every scene as a Brooklyn stripper who marries an oligarch's son, and the fight in the sitting room is the funniest sustained stretch we have seen in a long while. The middle hour runs about twenty minutes long. **How long is Anora, and what is it rated?** *Anora* runs 2h 19m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and comedy film. **Where can I watch Anora in the US?** *Anora* is streaming on Hulu and Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Anora, and is it suitable for children?** *Anora* is an 18 certificate and earns it in the first half hour, where the sex is frequent and filmed as work rather than as spectacle. The violence is a scuffle rather than a bloodbath: a broken nose, a bite, a lamp, played for laughs until you notice Ani is frightened. It is not for children or younger teenagers. **How does Anora compare to Pretty Woman?** *Anora* is [*Pretty Woman*](https://film.one/film/pretty-woman) with the sums shown: the same story of a sex worker and a rich man, told without the fairy tale's faith in wealth. The earlier film is warmer and more comfortable escapism; Baker's is funnier, rougher and more honest about who is paying whom. Watch *Pretty Woman* for romance, *Anora* if you want the receipts. **What should I watch after Anora?** After *Anora*, try [*Pretty Woman*](https://film.one/film/pretty-woman) (1990, Fi1m 77): The fairy tale this one is checking the receipts on; still charming, oddly. Then [*Tangerine*](https://film.one/film/tangerine) (2015, Fi1m 84): Baker’s earlier, cheaper, faster film: two friends, one Christmas Eve in Los Angeles; and [*After Hours*](https://film.one/film/after-hours) (1985, Fi1m 80): One bad night in New York, strangers everywhere, nobody getting home. ### Reviews we read (23) - **The Times**, Ed Potton (★★★★★): A vibrant and hilarious tale of subcultural hustling and a deserved Palme d’Or winner. Mikey Madison delivers a chutzpah-filled, Oscar-worthy performance with well-disguised vulnerability, capped by a sobering final scene. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/anora-film-review-mikey-madison-xp2vn8tlc) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (5/5): Sean Baker’s darkly funny sex-work screwball is a blast, full of wild energy and compassion, with a brilliant central performance that keeps viewers on Team Ani. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/anora-review-2024) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): Baker’s screwball Cinderella tale is frenetic, funny, fiery and profane, vaulting him towards greatness with deft handling and ambition. Mikey Madison gives a performance for the ages as the flawed, fearsome heroine. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/03/anora-review-sean-baker-screwball-cinderella-tale-vaults-him-towards-greatness-mikey-madison) - **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (90/100, inferred): The critic hails it as gorgeous, deranged and one of the films of the year, singling out Mikey Madison's sparky, vulnerable and real breakout performance as the perfect fit for Baker's unpredictable rags-to-riches tale. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/anora-review-gorgeous-deranged-films-of-year-3350053) - **Empire**, Beth Webb (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as an intoxicating frenzied fairy tale and tender character study, highlighting Baker's humanistic filmmaking and Mikey Madison's blazing, assured lead performance as its biggest triumph. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/anora/) - **Evening Standard**, Maddy Mussen (85/100, inferred): The critic deems it a flawless anti-Cinderella story, praising Mikey Madison's overwhelmingly good, star-making performance that balances humour and thoughtfulness while delivering a moving, laugh-a-minute experience with a poignant sting. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/anora-review-mikey-madison-sean-baker-oscars-b1187352.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Glenn Whipp (85/100, inferred): Sean Baker’s lively comedy about a stripper’s fairy-tale romance crashing down delivers madcap energy and control, standing as his best film, with a star-making turn from Mikey Madison that earns strong rooting interest. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-10-16/anora-review-sean-baker-mikey-madison-cannes) - **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (80/100, inferred): Energy fizzes through this anti-Cinderella story with barely controlled chaos and vérité. Mikey Madison gives a bristlingly real, star-making performance as a force-of-nature dancer. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/7b8fa865-a8f8-4c93-b54b-f05947439985) - **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (4/4/4): Baker’s anti-rom-com offers a hypermodern critique of class and geopolitics through a sex worker’s whirlwind romance with a Russian nepo baby, with strong performances and energetic direction, though it loses its way slightly in the latter half. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/anora) - **Total Film**, James Mottram (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it another hugely enjoyable ride from Sean Baker, commending the no-holds-barred comedy-drama, electric lead performance by Mikey Madison, and its robust look at class divides with real pathos in the final third. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/drama-movies/anora-review/) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (80/100, inferred): Baker’s free-wheeling sex farce about a stripper and oligarch’s son is compulsively entertaining and emotionally rich, reaffirming his talent-spotting with a standout performance from Mikey Madison. [Read](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/anora-review-sean-baker-1236011025/) - **Film Comment**, Rebecca Cleman: Baker's Palme d'Or winner is a sharp, humanist look at transactional relationships and the American Dream's illusions, using genre tropes to deliver deeper emotional truths. The critic singles out the final scene's raw emotional breakdown for puncturing the film's cartoonish energy and rom-com expectations. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/lifes-a-beach-anora-review/) - **Screen Daily**: Sean Baker delivers a wildly entertaining modern-day screwball comedy with a feisty central performance by Mikey Madison as a sex worker in a whirlwind romance disrupted by family interference, full of unruly humour and propulsive pacing. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/anora-cannes-review/5193863.article) - **Sight and Sound**: The critic praises Sean Baker’s demolition of the Pretty Woman fantasy through a vivid screwball-tragicomedy centered on a fiery sex worker, highlighting the emotional force of the film’s ending and Baker’s humane approach. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/anora-sean-bakers-demolition-pretty-woman-fantasy-his-most-vivid-creation-yet) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic calls it a satisfying screwball comedy about a sex worker's whirlwind romance with an oligarch's son that turns chaotic. Madison's scrappy, sweet-yet-defensive lead performance stands out alongside Baker's vivid milieu and class commentary, though the film could lose some length. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/anora-review-mikey-madison-sean-baker-1235905037/) - **The New York Times**, Alissa Wilkinson (Critic’s Pick): The critic praises Mikey Madison's mesmerizing, career-making performance and notes that the film levels up Sean Baker's work with its confident storytelling. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/movies/anora-review.html) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (5/5): Mikey Madison delivers a star-making turn in Baker's madcap screwball comedy about a Brooklyn escort and a Russian oligarch's son. The critic highlights Madison's brash charisma and the film's blend of warmth and bleakness as it turns chaotic chases into something humane and entertaining. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/anora-review-mikey-madison-and-sean-baker/) - **/Film**, Jacob Hall (9/10): Anora is probably the best movie of 2024, an instantly towering work that is empathetic, moving, and often just a good time at the movies. The critic singles out the effortless blend of big emotions, thoughtful complexity, and high-stress screwball comedy. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1670305/anora-review-sean-baker-mikey-madison-comedy/) - **Paste**, Jesse Hassenger (8.3/10): The critic praises Mikey Madison's fiery, committed performance as Ani and Sean Baker's skillful blend of screwball comedy with intimate character study. It highlights the film's nonjudgmental humor, focus on the protagonist's dreams and agency, and tonal balance between farce and melancholy. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sean-baker/anora-review) - **Film Stories**, Maria Lattila (80/100, inferred): Anora is one of 2024’s best, most entertaining and heartfelt films, blending comedy with a devastating final act. The critic singles out Mikey Madison’s radiant, compelling performance for keeping the film grounded. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/anora-review-american-fairytale-gone-wrong/) - **The Skinny**, Josh Slater-Williams (★★★★): Baker delivers another razor-sharp, empathetic portrait of marginal lives through a screwball romance that subverts Pretty Woman tropes with class solidarity and unpredictability. The critic praises the strong ensemble and Madison's standout performance amid the manic, heartfelt odyssey. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/anora) - **The Wrap**, Steve Pond (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a wildly entertaining and confounding mix of character study, look at the super-rich, and raucous comedy, praising its fun and heart despite its length and genre swings. They single out the hysterical home invasion set piece and the moving coda for praise. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/anora-review-sean-baker/) - **Deadline**, Damon Wise (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's broad screwball comedy elements and Mikey Madison's fearless performance as Ani, noting the heartbreaking ending that reveals emotional costs. They highlight the pursuit sequence and the lead actress as standout. [Read](https://deadline.com/2024/05/anora-review-mikey-madison-gives-her-all-in-sean-baker-subversive-screwball-comedy-cannes-film-festival-1235925716/) ## Details - **Director:** Sean Baker - **Director:** Sean Baker - **Writer:** Sean Baker - **Cinematography:** Drew Daniels - **Editor:** Sean Baker - **Production design:** Stephen Phelps - **Costume design:** Jocelyn Pierce - **Producer:** Alex Coco, Sean Baker, Samantha Quan - **Cast:** Mikey Madison as Ani; Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan; Yura Borisov as Igor; Karren Karagulian as Toros; Vache Tovmasyan as Garnik; Luna Sofía Miranda as Lulu; Lindsey Normington as Diamond; Darya Ekamasova as Galina Zakharov - **Runtime:** 2h 19m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 8 November 2024 - **Genres:** Drama, Comedy, Romance - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Winner, 2024); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2024); [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2024); [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Winner, 2024) - **Budget:** $6 million - **Box office:** $56 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m6UrWMl18M ## Where to watch in the US - Hulu: streaming, uhd - Disney+: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $19.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2025: Best Actress (won); Best Director (won); Best Film Editing (won); Best Picture (won); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won) - Cannes Film Festival 2024: Palme d'Or (won) ## If you liked this - *Pretty Woman* (1990), Fi1m 77: The fairy tale this one is checking the receipts on; still charming, oddly. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/pretty-woman.md) - *Tangerine* (2015), Fi1m 84: Baker’s earlier, cheaper, faster film: two friends, one Christmas Eve in Los Angeles. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tangerine.md) - *After Hours* (1985), Fi1m 80: One bad night in New York, strangers everywhere, nobody getting home. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/after-hours.md) - *Working Girls* (1986): Lizzie Borden films sex work as a shift with a lunch break. - *Compartment No. 6* (2021): Yura Borisov again, quiet and watchful, on a long train north. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/anora