Anora

The only thing I knew about Anora before the festival was that it was supposed to be about a stripper who meets the son of a Russian oligarch, and very quickly they want to get married. And I think that's pretty much all you need to know. When it gets here, go see it in the theater and I promise you'll have a good time. You'll get a solid dose of harmoniously balanced drama and comedy. What I found very interesting about this film is that I actually didn't find most of the characters entirely likeable, (which is usually what I need for a film to fully draw me in), but I still enjoyed it immensely because it's played to perfection by the entire ensemble cast. So I'm quite happy about the Palme d'Or award at Cannes. [Festival de Cannes 2024] (25/05/2024)

If you don’t read anything about Anora in advance or see the trailer, it is flawlessly unpredictable not only in terms of plot, but also in terms of genre. The situation in which the protagonist finds herself easily varies in its degree of seriousness, shifting from tensely comedic to cruelly dramatic. The film masterfully straddles this thin line, eliciting hearty laughter while holding us in suspense and apprehension. Sean Baker is the Steven Spielberg of independent film, an extraordinarily imaginative screenwriter and director with a unique feel for sociology and the ability to tell the stories of people and their souls like no one else. Anora is both an exceptional comedy and a drama that bares the heart from a perspective that you wouldn’t expect. An absolute knockout with extraordinary emotion. Thank you. [Cannes FF] (24/05/2024)