Anora
Read My First Review (for context)
my second watch was absolutely intoxicating. everything clicked for me even harder. this is just me rambling.
it is uncanny how well Mark Eidelstein captures the energy of a middle schooler inside a 21-year old body. his boyish charm that works so well, reads as so vile and infantile, on a second watch. you notice how his posse is subtlety disrespecting Ani the whole time, not seeing her as a human being. just another prop in Ivan's toy factory. and the worst part of it is, Eidelstein has so much charm and him and Madison have so much chemistry, it just PISSES YOU OFF!!! (complimentary).
the second watch reads as even more tragic, when you know how it unfolds. you see Ani slowly have to realize that the people around her, who are her antagonists, are right. every second she embodies more and more heartbreak as she realizes that Ivan is never gonna be a man for her. she married a rich, spoiled brat, using her as a play thing. she's just another commodity for him to consume (just like alcohol, cocaine, ketamine, etc), when all she was trying to do was live the American dream. break out of her life mold. she was just doing what was promised would bring a woman like her a better life. she was being exploited. the idea of profiting off woman autonomy and sexual liberation is still controlled by the upper class (white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism) and only causes harm to the working class. Baker focuses on sex work, not because he thinks he has the strongest voice to speak about it, but because he recognizes that sex work is THE embodiment of the exploited working class.
the second act is what I was most apprehensive about on my first watch, and I really loved it on this watch. continuing the idea of Baker focusing on the macro, with this film, and exploring the relationship the upper class has with the working class, you see them stop by so many "third spaces," and each one is meant to juxtapose the silliness of this rich people story we are following. whether they're candy shop workers, a cook at a restaurant, a tow truck driver, or a server left with a $800 bill - these are all minor inconveniences in OUR story. it doesn't matter if we cost them their job. it doesn't matter if this is their livelihoods. it doesn't matter if they are having a normal day, just trying to work. we (like ani) are a part of this rich people story now. our plot matters more then their well being. that whole idea is so well done.
the last scene made me bawl my eyes out even more, this time around. the confusion on Ani's face when she gets the ring is heartbreaking. she doesn't know how to accept anything - whether it's gifts, love, friendship, whatever - without it being transactional. she hasn't even begun to process what just happened to her. she has to be tough, because you can't afford not to be, when you're working class. you have to keep going. you can't NOT be at work. and her breaking down is the most heartbreaking thing I've been seen.
I really love this movie.