EntertainmentMoviesComedy MoviesSean Baker and Mikey Madison on the Scream star’s new movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scoreWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesComedy MoviesSean Baker and Mikey Madison on the Scream star’s new movie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scoreWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Anora, the latest comedy-drama from director Sean Baker, stars Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s Mikey Madison as Ani, a stripper and escort from the Brighton Beach neighborhood of New York City who finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance – and marriage – with Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn) a Russian oligarch’s son.
Over the past 12 years, Baker’s movies, Starlet, Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket, have all dealt with different aspects of the sex industry, from adult film stars to trans sex workers, and he returns to the same themes of labor, class, and exploitation in Anora. “There are so many aspects of sex work, and sex work is really an umbrella term for many different occupations in that world,” Baker tells GamesRadar+ on the red carpet at London Film Festival.
Big Screen SpotlightShining a light on the under-the-radar theatrical releases that you need to know about, with a new article every Friday
Big Screen Spotlight
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“So I realized, upon getting to meet sex workers, becoming friends with sex workers, and hearing their stories, that there were a million stories to be told in this world,” “It’s not like I set out to make one after another. I never wanted it to be a shtick, but I found constant inspiration.”
Madison tells us that 2015’s Tangerine, shot entirely on an iPhone, has always been one of her favorite films, long before she met Baker, and praises him for being “a real actors' director.” “He’s very sensitive, kind, was very willing to let me express myself through this character, and wanted to hear all of my ideas, and just gave me a lot of creative freedom in terms of bringing her to life,” she says.
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Baker’s new film gave him a chance to delve into a new part of the sex industry. “Anora is the escort-slash-dancer world, so there’s a whole new wave of gentlemen’s clubs that I discovered through my research, and that’s a lap dance club,” he explains. “It harkens back to what they called ‘dime-a-dances’ in World War 1, where soldiers would come into a city and go to a place and literally pay a dime to dance with somebody. This is the 2024 version of that, and I found it fascinating, and I don’t think it’s been covered much in film and TV, so that was our goal.”
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Big Screen Spotlight
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(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
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“The physicality of the character, it was the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do, honestly. Not even really the fighting,” she adds, referring to a scrap between Ani and some of Vanya’s father’s henchmen in the movie’s second act that veers between farcical and disturbing. “It was just learning how to dance and learning pole tricks. It was unbelievably difficult.”
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Like Baker’s other work, Anora is full of comedic beats and larger-than-life characters, but the film also emphasizes the repetitive, labor-intensive nature of sex work – at the end of the day, being an escort is a job, just like any other. “The unfair stigma applied to sex work has not gone away,” Baker tells us. “My hope is that continuing to make these stories is helping to chip away at that stigma.”
Anora is out now in UK cinemas. For more on what to watch, check out the rest of ourBig Screen Spotlightseries.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”