I sometimes forget that as a viewer, I have no control over a movie’s storytelling process. I remember watching Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River after blind-buying it and pleading with the film during a major scene between Sean Penn and Tim Robbins’ characters. I knew why the story moved in this direction. I understood the choices each character made and what brought them to this moment, but nothing could change the events. Not my pleas, not my anger, nothing. Great film, but hard watch. What’s presented on screen is the story we’re given.

Sean Baker’s Anora is a fun film in many ways. I was a little skeptical at first, but quickly found myself invested in where this story was taking me. Before you decide to watch it, however, you should know there’s a lot of sex in the first 30 minutes or so. I don’t know how Disney’s gonna handle that one when it gets to Hulu, but hey, Alien Romulus holds up just fine with the violence involved.

Anora introduces us to Anora “Ani” Mikheeva, a sex worker who everyone at her nightclub, Headquarters, adores. When she meets Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), it’s business as usual. He spends a lot, was looking for a girl who could speak Russian and Ani discovers he’s the son of an oligarch. They hit things off so well that during a party in Vegas, they decide to get married. When word of the marriage reaches Ivan’s parents, they send Toros (Karran Karagulian) and two of his employees, Igor (Yuri Borisov) and Garnick (Vache Tovmasvan) to have the wedding annulled. What starts as a simple task becomes a full on quest when Ivan panics and leaves. Will the group find Ivan? And if they do, can Ani convince Ivan to uphold the marriage? That’s the gist of the film.

In some ways, the flow of Anora reminds me of Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck. We’re introduced to Ivan’s extended family, and despite all of the issues, there are some small connections made over time. As they spend time trying to locate Ivan, I loved the interactions Ani has with the group. Without revealing too much, it all comes to a head. The pacing is pretty even. For a film that’s 2 Hours and 15 minutes, you won’t even notice how fast it moves.

When it comes to acting, the entire film is carried singlehandedly on the shoulders of Mikey Madison. She was impressive in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and she completely shines here. Ani is sexual and kind, yet fierce when it comes to fighting for what’s hers. She easily stands toe to toe with anyone she’s up against. Madison is easily due the recognition she’s received so far since the film was released. Granted, she’s not alone in all this. both Karagulian and Tomvmasvan serve as comedic foils in certain ways, which really help to move the story along. There are fine performances from all of the cast members, but these the ones who stood out, in particular.

The Cinematography is pretty standard in Anora. While there are a number of dark setting scenes, they’re all well lit. There any any shots in the film that stood out as being spectactular in any way.

The only real drawback to Anora is the direction of the story. It’s not a terrible thing. It may be more a realistic ending, more in the vein of Robert Benton’s Kramer vs. Kramer or Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, where you might find yourself hoping for one outcome, only to receive something else entirely. It doesn’t fully hurt the film. I’d argue that it might enhance it, considering how eager I was for what I wanted to see occur.

Overall, Anora is a fine film if you’re not discouraged by the sexual elements early on. You might find yourself cheering for Ani throughout her adventure, despite the directions the story takes.