What is Anora about?​

Anora is an American comedy-drama film directed by Sean Baker. He also wrote, produced, and edited the film. The film was first released at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024, and released in theaters on October 18, 2024. The film stars Mikey Madison as Anora Mikheeva and Mark Eydelshteyn as Vanya Zakharov. Other supporting cast includes Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov. The film was made with a budget of $6 million and earned $37.8 million at the box office. The film became Sean Baker’s highest-grossing film. The film was included in the Top 10 Films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.

Anora Mikheeva is a young woman from Brooklyn who works as a stripper. Her life turns upside down when she meets Vanya Zakharov and quickly agrees to marry him. This decision changed their life. The film has received positive reviews from critics for its real depiction of difficult characters and the layered representation of the sex work industry. The film has received many nominations including 6 Academy Award nominations, 7 BAFTA nominations, 5 Golden Globe nominations, and more. The film won 2 BAFTAs and also won the Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

What is Anora about?

Anora tells the story of Anora "Ani" Mikheeva, a young stripper in Brooklyn. She was facing difficulties to make ends meet. Her daily life changes dramatically when she meets Vanya Zakharov, the son of a rich Russian oligarch. Vanya lives in the U.S. to study and often comes to his mansion in Brooklyn. Ani’s boss introduces her to Vanya and he hires her for a week to stay with him. They both fly to Las Vegas with friends where Vanya proposes to Ani out of nowhere to marry him. However, their happiness is short-lived as Vanya's parents heard about his wedding and came to New York to annul the marriage. This sets off a series of events that challenge Anora's strength and the couple's commitment to each other.

The film explores the themes of love, identity, and how society judges people. It shows Anora’s struggle to stay true to herself while facing pressure and judgment from others. In an interview with AP, Sean Baker, the director of the film shared his vision for the film and said, “If I’m too calculated, like ‘This is my grand statement on late-stage capitalism,’ I’ll get a little contrived, I’ll get a little preachy, but it’s hard to ignore it in a country more divided by the day.” He further added, “I don’t want to say in any way that I ever faced the hardships of an undocumented immigrant or a marginalized sex worker, but being an independent filmmaker for 30 years, there was a hustle. Up until fairly recently, I was struggling to pay rent.”

Where can you watch Anora?

Anora is available to watch in select theaters across the United States. For audiences who don’t have access to these theaters or want to watch the film at home, it is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango, Zee5, and the Microsoft Store. The film is set to release on the streaming service Hulu on March 17, 2025, making it available to subscribers at no extra cost. The film has received critical acclaim and many award nominations, including 6 Oscar nominations.

Also read: Cast of Anora