Sean Baker’s latest cinematic creation, titled ‘Anora’, has received the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for this year. This work joins his renowned portfolio featuring narratives revolving around sex workers, including Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. Yet, Anora may just represent Baker’s most accessible narration to date, inviting audiences into an engaging and previously unexplored cinematic space.
Anora, or Ani as she is affectionately known, is a lap dancer employed at a sophisticated gentlemen’s club. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she encounters the son of a Russian oligarch – a man named Vanya. This chance meeting serves as her exit route from her current profession, leading her into a drastically different lifestyle.
The characters Ani and Vanya, portrayed by Mikey Madison and Mark Eidelstein, elope and Ani’s existence, previously defined by striving to entertain inebriated customers, suddenly transforms into a world of affluence. She finds herself surrounded by opulence, living in a mansion, splurging on whims, and accessorizing with diamonds.
However, this seemingly idyllic life is transient as Ani gradually uncovers Vanya’s deceit. A revelation, a twist in the story shifts the narrative, leading to a significant change in the plot. The premise evolves into a tale of a young woman caught in an unintended predicament due to her husband’s undisclosed activities.
Ani slowly discovers, over a span of 24 hours, that her husband is not the person she believed him to be. Indeed, he fails to rescue her when she is held hostage by the Russian mafia to settle his debts. This strange and stressful situation drives Ani’s character development, leading her to form an unusual bond with her captors, a bond reminiscent of Stockholm syndrome.
Baker emphasizes that his film is not intended to portray yet another gangster movie. Instead, he wanted to put Ani in a unique situation that challenged expectations. His work often reflects a reaction to the norms of the film and TV industry. He explores themes and characters that he feels are underrepresented.
Adopting an empathetic approach to sex work, which is far from being widespread in the industry, Baker creates stories about sex workers marked by dimensionality and depth. Often, these individuals are relegated to supporting roles or stereotyped, a portrayal Baker consciously seeks to challenge with each new film.
His intention is not to ‘normalize’ but to modify the cliche ways in which sex workers are perceived. By portraying a fully developed character who is also engaged in sex work, Baker obstinately pushes against the stigma attached to the profession. His ambition is to provoke audiences into reassessing their viewpoints on sex work.
Anora kicks off from a club in Manhattan known as Headquarters. Baker uses this setting to delve into a novel theme – the evolution of gentlemen’s clubs into lap-dancing hubs. He appreciates the unique quality of these establishments, a facet that has not yet been expansively explored in film or TV.
He discusses the deep level of intimacy inherent in this new type of gentlemen’s club. This intimacy rekindles his fascination with an old cultural practice dating back to World War I, when soldiers used to pay women for dances on their leave (‘Dime a Dance’). This practice, he muses, has been echoed in the contemporary setting of the lap-dancing clubs.
Baker regards the lap dancing scenario as an intriguing psychological play. It’s vastly different from the conventional understanding of pole dancing. The entire interaction, the transactional nature of the dance, offers unique insight into the human psyche.
The dancer-client dynamic is of particular interest. A dancer must quickly size up a potential client, strategizing how to tailor their performance to entice the individual into spending money on them. According to Baker, it’s a hustle, yes, but one that needs a deep understanding of the other’s psyche.
Baker emphasizes the significance of film endings – the lasting impression for his audiences. The very thing the viewers take with them upon leaving the theater, and the pervasive topic of their ensuing conversation. He places paramount importance on first determining the ending before constructing the rest of the narrative.
In the case of ‘Anora’, devising the conclusion posed a particular challenge, pushing him to call for a substantial climax. The process, though stressful, was crucial in shaping the overall structure and impact of the story.
In essence, Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ explores an empathetic approach to sex work, challenges stereotypes, and endeavors to stimulate audiences into considering alternative perspectives. Marked by intriguing character development and complex dynamics, this breakthrough film redefines Baker’s narrative style and pushes the boundaries of conventional cinema.