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shadowkatFinished watching Anora via AppleTV for $5.99. I'm glad I didn't see it in the theater for more than that. It did make me laugh, it also infuriated me.
Anora is a story about an exotic dancer (she's actually a prostitute - exotic dancer is an euphemism - but she does lap dances, and does have intercourse with quite a few of her patrons for a price) who marries an ogliarich's ( a very rich Russian) son, after he pays her 10K to be his girlfriend for a week. Then, after they are married? The boy's parent's insist on getting it annulled. The premise reminded me a great deal of Pretty Woman, but a darker and far more realistic version of it.
I saw an ad slogan for Anora which stated : "It makes Pretty Woman look like a Disney Movie" - that's actually an apt assessment, although I'd state that it is in actuality what the original version of Pretty Woman was supposed to be? Pretty Woman was initially titled, "For One Thousand Dollars". The original take on Pretty Woman was really dark, and the studio changed the script - because it scared them. So, instead they romanticized it - which is actually worse. (I always felt a little guilty for enjoying that movie - but in reality it wasn't the movie I enjoyed, but Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and the soundtrack. I was able to ignore the plot.)
Anora is an independent film, not distributed or made by Hollywood - so it went the dark and hyper-realistic route. It is a far better film than Pretty Woman, and will haunt me far longer, even if I'm unlikely to ever see it again. It kind of embeds itself on one's memory.
Pretty Woman is a controversial film because it romanticized a lot of things that should never be romanticized - which is why it doesn't date well. Pretty Woman for those who've not seen it, is essentially a romance between an escort and a rich corporate CEO (basically a street-walker/ hooker - as portrayed by a twenty-something Julia Roberts, has her thumb out and he, Richard Gere (thirty-something) picks her up off the street and asks her to spend the week with him for one thousand dollars (this was the 1980s - a thousand dollars in the 1980s was a lot of money, the equivalent of 10 grand now)), who fall madly in love and live happily ever after - helped greatly by good dialogue, and charismatic leads, not to mention the soundtrack. [Also he's older than she is, and can do whatever he wants - no parents involved.]
Anora is not a romance nor a romantic comedy (it kind of misleads you into thinking it is one, but trust me - it's really not. Black comedy, maybe, there's a middle section in there that is absurdly funny). It's hyper-realism, the leads aren't charismatic and attractive, they aren't movie stars, and the soundtrack isn't pretty. The male lead is 20-21, and scrawny, with no muscles to speak of, he looks like the kids I see on the subway, also pale, and the female lead is pretty, small breasted, twenty-three, and also looks like the kids I see on the subway. They aren't recognizable movie stars.
Nor is the sex. This is gritty, explicit, messy sex. The type of sex you might see if you accidentally walked into someone's room. It's not pretty choreographed, erotic sex. Or romantic. It's just two people fucking. There's not kissing, no foreplay, except for what she does to get him ready, no oral sex, and it's more or less grunting, and a lot from behind.
In Pretty Woman - we don't really see any sex scenes or nudity, it's suggested, and the bits we do see? It's romantic and erotic. There's a scene in Pretty Woman, where Gere tries to kiss her - and she pushes him away, but he finally talks her into it. They also talk about their lives, and share. Pretty Woman sex scenes are implied and we only see the romantic parts.
In Anora, we see the nudity and the sex - and it's not erotic at all - quite the opposite. And Ivan doesn't try to kiss her - nor is he all that interested in her, nor does he tell her that much about himself. He just wants to play and escape his parents, who want him to work in their company and be responsible. He sees America as a big playground that he can do whatever he wants without repercussions.
(I could have done without most of the sex scenes (honestly watching people fuck isn't that interesting, it's like watching someone poop, or pee, or brush their teeth) - although I get why they showed it, to emphasize that the whole relationship between Anora and Ivan (the twenty-one year old boy - who pays her $10,000 to be his girlfriend for a week, then asks her to marry him in Vegas) was based entirely on sex, and it wasn't all that great most of the time. Also to show that from Anora's point of view - relationships with men are just about sex. That's all they want from her. And they pay her for it. Her power - such that she has - is sex. It's her only bargaining chip. Men - from her point of view are either rapists or whores. And to her - it's just sex, no kissing, none of that. And Ivan never really kisses her or does any foreplay, it's just fucking.)
And it is kind of made clear that unlike Julia Roberts and Richard Gere - who "save" each other because they "love" each other, Ivan and Anora are hunting escape hatches. Ivan sees Anora as his escape hatch from his parents and his responsibilities in Russia, he believes if he marries Anora - he will automatically become an American and be free of his parents and the responsibilities they want to thrust upon him. Anora likewise wants out, she wants out of the exotic dancing, and a rich lovely life with all the goodies. And Ivan is offering her that.
But unlike Richard Gere, Ivan is 21 years of age, and every thing he has is his father's. He owns nothing. He is not free to do as he pleases. Plus he's Russian not American. And can barely speak English, Anora's Russian is better than Ivan's English - and the film emphasizes the language barrier and the difficulties the characters have with it. The parents and Ivan make fun of Anora's Russian, and she in turn mocks Igor, Ivan, and his parents English. Class is another barrier emphasized here - while in Pretty Woman it is shown, but kind of romanticized or thrust under a rug.
The dialogue isn't quippy and romantic. Ivan doesn't try to kiss her. Or just on the cheek. He's a boy and doesn't know anything about having a girlfriend. He just wants sex and someone to show him attention while he plays video games. I'm trying to remember if he did kiss her - maybe, in passing? The kiss and pull-back scene is actually at very the end of the film, and not with Ivan.
It's realistic, the people look like the people you'd see on the streets of Brighton Beach and Coney Island, Brooklyn. They aren't nicely lit. We aren't on pretty streets. It's dreary, it's winter, and the sky is gray. The house is ugly. The couches are drab brown. And instead of the handsome rich guy (think Richard Gere) meeting the young beautiful twenty-something woman on the street with his limo and going back to his high priced hotel suite, we have a young scrawny twenty-something kid meet a twenty-something exotic dancer giving him a lap dance topless. And prior to her meet-up with him, she's given about twenty other guys ranging in ages from thirty to sixty the same thing.
The turn in the film - is when the parents call Ivan's Godfather who bursts into the house where Ivan and Anora are staying, and well all hell breaks loose. After this point, it becomes a black comedy.
It's not a romance. It's not a romantic comedy. It is a dark black comedy, and what I'd describe as hyper-realism. The sex scenes are explicit, frequent, and painful to watch. Also kind of boring. It is not erotic. The characters aren't likable. Except for maybe two. It doesn't leave you with a fond feeling for humanity, quite the opposite. The most likable character is actually the hired thug, Igor, who tries to help Anora, and to a degree Anora herself.
There is a kind of romance in it? But it's subtle and also...painful in its own way. It's between Igor (the thug hired to help them lug Anora to Vegas to annul the marriage) and Anora, but it's more on Igor's side than Anora who trusts no one at this point and is justifiably pissed off at the world. This movie is kind of raw. And it's angry. It smacks you in the face.
Also, half of it is in Russian. I watched it with close captioning, and I'm glad I did - I had to rewind a few times to figure out what folks were saying to each other. About fifty percent of the film - the characters are shouting at each other, punching each other in the face with words. Most of the violence is verbal - although there is violence in the film.
It's not a film that leaves you with a warm happy glow. But it does stick with you. It left me angry and edgy and wanting to slug someone. Much like Memoir of a Snail - I found it to be an ugly representation of humanity and a sad one. Also a reminder, but there for the grace of god go I.
A strange movie. I laughed. And I wanted to scream or punch someone. Often at the same time.
Off to bed.
Anora is a story about an exotic dancer (she's actually a prostitute - exotic dancer is an euphemism - but she does lap dances, and does have intercourse with quite a few of her patrons for a price) who marries an ogliarich's ( a very rich Russian) son, after he pays her 10K to be his girlfriend for a week. Then, after they are married? The boy's parent's insist on getting it annulled. The premise reminded me a great deal of Pretty Woman, but a darker and far more realistic version of it.
I saw an ad slogan for Anora which stated : "It makes Pretty Woman look like a Disney Movie" - that's actually an apt assessment, although I'd state that it is in actuality what the original version of Pretty Woman was supposed to be? Pretty Woman was initially titled, "For One Thousand Dollars". The original take on Pretty Woman was really dark, and the studio changed the script - because it scared them. So, instead they romanticized it - which is actually worse. (I always felt a little guilty for enjoying that movie - but in reality it wasn't the movie I enjoyed, but Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and the soundtrack. I was able to ignore the plot.)
Anora is an independent film, not distributed or made by Hollywood - so it went the dark and hyper-realistic route. It is a far better film than Pretty Woman, and will haunt me far longer, even if I'm unlikely to ever see it again. It kind of embeds itself on one's memory.
Pretty Woman is a controversial film because it romanticized a lot of things that should never be romanticized - which is why it doesn't date well. Pretty Woman for those who've not seen it, is essentially a romance between an escort and a rich corporate CEO (basically a street-walker/ hooker - as portrayed by a twenty-something Julia Roberts, has her thumb out and he, Richard Gere (thirty-something) picks her up off the street and asks her to spend the week with him for one thousand dollars (this was the 1980s - a thousand dollars in the 1980s was a lot of money, the equivalent of 10 grand now)), who fall madly in love and live happily ever after - helped greatly by good dialogue, and charismatic leads, not to mention the soundtrack. [Also he's older than she is, and can do whatever he wants - no parents involved.]
Anora is not a romance nor a romantic comedy (it kind of misleads you into thinking it is one, but trust me - it's really not. Black comedy, maybe, there's a middle section in there that is absurdly funny). It's hyper-realism, the leads aren't charismatic and attractive, they aren't movie stars, and the soundtrack isn't pretty. The male lead is 20-21, and scrawny, with no muscles to speak of, he looks like the kids I see on the subway, also pale, and the female lead is pretty, small breasted, twenty-three, and also looks like the kids I see on the subway. They aren't recognizable movie stars.
Nor is the sex. This is gritty, explicit, messy sex. The type of sex you might see if you accidentally walked into someone's room. It's not pretty choreographed, erotic sex. Or romantic. It's just two people fucking. There's not kissing, no foreplay, except for what she does to get him ready, no oral sex, and it's more or less grunting, and a lot from behind.
In Pretty Woman - we don't really see any sex scenes or nudity, it's suggested, and the bits we do see? It's romantic and erotic. There's a scene in Pretty Woman, where Gere tries to kiss her - and she pushes him away, but he finally talks her into it. They also talk about their lives, and share. Pretty Woman sex scenes are implied and we only see the romantic parts.
In Anora, we see the nudity and the sex - and it's not erotic at all - quite the opposite. And Ivan doesn't try to kiss her - nor is he all that interested in her, nor does he tell her that much about himself. He just wants to play and escape his parents, who want him to work in their company and be responsible. He sees America as a big playground that he can do whatever he wants without repercussions.
(I could have done without most of the sex scenes (honestly watching people fuck isn't that interesting, it's like watching someone poop, or pee, or brush their teeth) - although I get why they showed it, to emphasize that the whole relationship between Anora and Ivan (the twenty-one year old boy - who pays her $10,000 to be his girlfriend for a week, then asks her to marry him in Vegas) was based entirely on sex, and it wasn't all that great most of the time. Also to show that from Anora's point of view - relationships with men are just about sex. That's all they want from her. And they pay her for it. Her power - such that she has - is sex. It's her only bargaining chip. Men - from her point of view are either rapists or whores. And to her - it's just sex, no kissing, none of that. And Ivan never really kisses her or does any foreplay, it's just fucking.)
And it is kind of made clear that unlike Julia Roberts and Richard Gere - who "save" each other because they "love" each other, Ivan and Anora are hunting escape hatches. Ivan sees Anora as his escape hatch from his parents and his responsibilities in Russia, he believes if he marries Anora - he will automatically become an American and be free of his parents and the responsibilities they want to thrust upon him. Anora likewise wants out, she wants out of the exotic dancing, and a rich lovely life with all the goodies. And Ivan is offering her that.
But unlike Richard Gere, Ivan is 21 years of age, and every thing he has is his father's. He owns nothing. He is not free to do as he pleases. Plus he's Russian not American. And can barely speak English, Anora's Russian is better than Ivan's English - and the film emphasizes the language barrier and the difficulties the characters have with it. The parents and Ivan make fun of Anora's Russian, and she in turn mocks Igor, Ivan, and his parents English. Class is another barrier emphasized here - while in Pretty Woman it is shown, but kind of romanticized or thrust under a rug.
The dialogue isn't quippy and romantic. Ivan doesn't try to kiss her. Or just on the cheek. He's a boy and doesn't know anything about having a girlfriend. He just wants sex and someone to show him attention while he plays video games. I'm trying to remember if he did kiss her - maybe, in passing? The kiss and pull-back scene is actually at very the end of the film, and not with Ivan.
It's realistic, the people look like the people you'd see on the streets of Brighton Beach and Coney Island, Brooklyn. They aren't nicely lit. We aren't on pretty streets. It's dreary, it's winter, and the sky is gray. The house is ugly. The couches are drab brown. And instead of the handsome rich guy (think Richard Gere) meeting the young beautiful twenty-something woman on the street with his limo and going back to his high priced hotel suite, we have a young scrawny twenty-something kid meet a twenty-something exotic dancer giving him a lap dance topless. And prior to her meet-up with him, she's given about twenty other guys ranging in ages from thirty to sixty the same thing.
The turn in the film - is when the parents call Ivan's Godfather who bursts into the house where Ivan and Anora are staying, and well all hell breaks loose. After this point, it becomes a black comedy.
It's not a romance. It's not a romantic comedy. It is a dark black comedy, and what I'd describe as hyper-realism. The sex scenes are explicit, frequent, and painful to watch. Also kind of boring. It is not erotic. The characters aren't likable. Except for maybe two. It doesn't leave you with a fond feeling for humanity, quite the opposite. The most likable character is actually the hired thug, Igor, who tries to help Anora, and to a degree Anora herself.
There is a kind of romance in it? But it's subtle and also...painful in its own way. It's between Igor (the thug hired to help them lug Anora to Vegas to annul the marriage) and Anora, but it's more on Igor's side than Anora who trusts no one at this point and is justifiably pissed off at the world. This movie is kind of raw. And it's angry. It smacks you in the face.
Also, half of it is in Russian. I watched it with close captioning, and I'm glad I did - I had to rewind a few times to figure out what folks were saying to each other. About fifty percent of the film - the characters are shouting at each other, punching each other in the face with words. Most of the violence is verbal - although there is violence in the film.
It's not a film that leaves you with a warm happy glow. But it does stick with you. It left me angry and edgy and wanting to slug someone. Much like Memoir of a Snail - I found it to be an ugly representation of humanity and a sad one. Also a reminder, but there for the grace of god go I.
A strange movie. I laughed. And I wanted to scream or punch someone. Often at the same time.
Off to bed.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-09 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-10 12:01 am (UTC)Anyhow? I think I know why it won awards? Or if I was to hazard a guess? Is the film resonated with a lot of people - or reflected something in our society that is bothering them. And it's the hyper-realism, or the feeling of capturing reality (much like the popular Hulu/F/X Comedy the Bear does and - much like the old 1970s films did. Nothing romanticized. Bleak painful reality. And it is from a purely technical perspective - well done. As my niece put it - the performances were excellent, I believed they were the characters, I didn't see any acting or artifice. At times it felt like watching a documentary, without interviews, with all the insane screaming and craziness of unplanned and unscripted documentaries.
But it wasn't enjoyable at all. Left me edgy, and angry. And not what I look for in films? I wish I hadn't watched it last night, it left me aedgy and raging at the world - took me hours to dislodge that rage.