Film: Anora

It certainly gave us an insight into sex workers working at this particular club (HQ) and little about the sons and wives of Russian oligarchs.

Not an original story; we’ve heard this narrative many times, so I don’t know what’s new. Certainly, the first half felt like a light porn movie as the endless display of bottoms filled the screen and I found myself pressing the recline button and falling ever so slightly asleep.

The film woke up in the second hour as lapclub dancer Ani (Anora) does a full ‘Pretty Woman’ (not lost on anyone I don’t think) and embarks on a relationship with a client. It’s even billed as a comedy/romance, which I don’t see at all. Did I miss the laughs?

It’s so sad to witness the naivety of a 23-year-old woman who believed the spoilt son of a wealthy and powerful man had indeed fallen for her after just a few days. I always think people who have had it hard, grow up quicker and are wise beyond their years. So although we don’t know any back story, other than about a Russian grandmother, we are left to assume it was not a particularly hard life.

I was at the edge of my seat every time Ani went off with a paying stranger and shut the door to the world behind her, waiting for something bad to happen. This came much later, only when the punter/boyfriend had booked her to spend a week with him before he was due to go reluctantly back to Russia and become a responsible working adult. Among the inevitable thugs sent to dispatch Ani, one piqued my curiosity. But not enough for me to enjoy this film or find anything original.

If we’re making Oscar-nominated comparisons, last year’s Emilia Pérez is streets ahead in originality and easily equals performance with multiple characters shining in their performances.

5/10