(Spoiler ahead โ not that it matters.)
Honestly, I felt pretty disappointed. The film tries hard to get the audience to connect with a gritty โromanceโ between a sex worker and the son of a Russian oligarch and the later consequences of their decisions, but it leans far too heavily on shock valueโprofanity, nudity, a lot of โf*ckโs and exaggerated accentsโwhile offering very little in terms of plot progression or character depth.
Anoraโs decisions felt immature and frankly implausible for a stripper whoโs supposed to be street-smart and money-savvy. The ending didnโt offer any meaningful closure eitherโit just left me feeling uneasy. I frankly didnt see the supposed โreal and incredible character arcโ there. She defaults to her usual transactional habitsโoffering sex as gratitude for the ringโand then collapses into tears in the arms of the man because unlike most men, he never tried to rape her like she suspected initially and showed her affection by unexpectedly kissing her? Is that the โraw emotionalโ climax? What exactly am I meant to take from the whole plot?
A lot of people mentioned the film had laugh-out-loud moments too, but I didnโt find a single scene funny or amusing. Mikey Madison gave a committed performance, no doubtโbut I truly believe there were better performances from actresses in better films this year. Anora felt overhyped, chaotic, and more focused on making noise than saying something meaningful. Overall, a frustrating watch.