Anora

Anora is the funniest movie I have seen this year... I just can't believe how shattered I felt by the end of it. The dynamic between Igor & Anora is so special. Through all the madness, the noise & the chaos, Anora is suppressing her pain & her distress while Igor is quietly aware of it throughout. The subtleties & the sincerity of these performances, & the way it all culminates is as depressing as it is moving. The Mikey Madison & Yura Borisoz praise is absolutely deserved & then some. 'Anora' very much still plays like a Sean Baker product, despite catering for a more mainstream kind-of audience. It's funny, I didn't really expect to enjoy Baker's films this much to even care about that. It was only until quite recently that I familiarised myself with his game & recognised what he was achieving with his work. Here, he still manages to stop on a dime & bring it back down to a compassionate, human level despite the magnitude of the film & how crazy the film can get. As of right now, I'm calling it my favourite film of 2024. Absolutely worthy of the hype. What a wild ride.