It’s telling that nine out of the 10 nominees are essentially set in the past, or in isolated or fantasy realms, from 1960s America (A Complete Unknown, Nickel Boys) to “Mexico” (Emilia Pérez, filmed in France), from Wicked’s Oz to Dune: Part Two’s Arrakis.
Mikey Madison’s open-spirited performance as a lapdancer who falls for a feckless young client ignites a film brimful of heart, and we ought to return the love.
What’s more, Anora goes to places mainstream cinema rarely does: the grubby streets, the strip clubs, the all-night cafes, off-season Brighton Beach in Brooklyn and the Russian and Armenian communities who live there.
It’s impossible not to be swept along with its hero, Ani – a gutsy but tragically naive lapdancer who falls for a Russian oligarch’s spoilt son, and spontaneously marries him.
But the main reason Anora should win is that it’s simply an adorable film – full of heart and passion and energy and just life.
