Anora

I was really looking forward to this, and had some pretty high expectations. Somehow Anora still managed to surpass every single onenof them. This feels exactly like a Sean Baker film in the best way possible. It's so easy to dive head first into this story. That's also down to Mikey Madison's performance as Ani, she's so infectiously funny in one moment and then raw and powerful in the next in a way that feels so natural that it might just be one of the most grounded and real performances of the year. This was way funnier than I was expecting too. Even when you're sitting there laughing though there's this undertone of sadness about the whole situation that you just can't shake, it really helps the more emotional moments hit that much harder. Like with any other Sean Baker film the cinematography is stunning. There's these really special moments that happen throughout the film where everything feels like it stops for just a second. You'd think all the chaos that unravels would be the most interesting but it's actually these loud, but silent shots of two particular characters that I won't spoil here. There's very little said in these moments but the way they're shot along with the amazing performances elevates them into a level of filmmaking that I haven't seen before. 2024 Ranked 50 favourite films