Anora movie review & film summary (2024)

Anora,” released in 2024 and directed by Sean Baker, is a rollercoaster of a film that blends comedy, drama, and raw emotion into a modern Cinderella story with a gritty twist. It swept the 2025 Oscars, snagging five awards, including Best Picture, and it’s easy to see why—it’s a wild ride that hooks you from the start. The story centers on Anora “Ani” Mikheeva, a 23-year-old Uzbek-American stripper from Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, a Russian-American enclave. Played with fierce energy by Mikey Madison—who won Best Actress—Ani is scrappy, hopeful, and chasing a better life. Her world flips when she meets Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov, the spoiled son of a Russian oligarch, at the upscale strip club where she’s the only Russian speaker.