I took my mom to see The Florida Project at a TIFF screening in 2017 and we were in awe of the film. I really liked Red Rocket and loved Tangerine as well. I would have been looking forward to seeing Sean Baker’s newest film Anora from when I knew it was playing at Cannes. When the film won the Palme d’Or, and the scores from the critics were released as well, I knew I had to see the film. 

I don’t normally get the chance to see them during the festival. As an expected popular title, either the screenings are sold out early or as was the case also, the press screenings aren’t working with my schedule. That happened to be the case as I wouldn’t be able to catch it during the festival. Thankfully, there was a pre-TIFF screening and I’m really happy that I was able to see it before the festival – and not have to wait until after.

Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Scream) is Anora, or as she prefers to be called, Ani. Ani is a Brooklyn stripper who meets Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein) at work one evening. He is introduced to Ani because his English isn’t the greatest, and he asks for a woman who can speak Russian. Almost immediately, Ivan is infatuated and wants to spend more time with her, outside of the club. 

Madison continues a hot streak of great performances, but her performance as Ani is astounding and on another level. Shortly after meeting her in the opening of the film, we want to follow her and understand why Ivan wants to spend all his time (and also money) on her. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the film. I’m familiar with some of Baker’s recent filmography as I mentioned and have loved his humanist approach, but I wasn’t expecting the film to be as funny as it is. The film thrives in the first half as we follow Ivan and Anora living excessively. There are montages of drinking, drugs, and sex – and then the second half arrives and makes the film take a tonal shift.

I loved Drew Daniels’ cinematography, as I often do. His nighttime visuals are always breathtaking on the big screen, and Anora marks another film where his work is spectacular. Drew is one of my favourite consistent working cinematographers and is also here at the festival for Max Minghella’s newest film, Shell, which I’ll be seeing later at the festival. 

Walking out of the film at our press screening, the rest of the audience felt similar to what Cannes may have felt, “this is the one.” Truthfully, I might not be as into the film as others – but since the film’s viewing, I have thought of certain segments or characters. Yura Borisov’s performance of Igor is charming amidst some of the chaos that is happening in the film.

It does feel like a crowd-pleaser of a film, and it was the first film I loved from the fest. It’s a huge highlight at this festival and I can imagine the response from TIFF’s first public screening tonight is also going to be electric like the film. A likely contender for the People’s Choice award. Previous critics have called it Pretty Woman meets Uncut Gems, and it’s hard to argue with a perfect comparison like that, but we miss out on the little quiet moments that Baker might excel in at points.