“Anora,” written and directed by Sean Baker, is a five-time Oscar winner, taking Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards. Mikey Madison, who plays the title character Anora, made history as one of the youngest to win Best Actress in a Leading Role. Baker, known for “The Florida Project,” “Tangerine,” and “Red Rocket,” is an independent film champion. Typically, he explores stories surrounding marginalized communities. “Anora” similarly follows the journey of “erotic dancer” Ani, or Anora, who is swept off her feet Cinderella-style by the fun, impulsive, rich Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn). Ani is paid to embark on a sexual, symbiotic relationship with Zakharov and eventually becomes his wife in a Las Vegas elopement. When Zakharov’s parents find out about their marriage, Ani battles endless betrayal and shame alone.
The division between old and new money is less prevalent in “Anora” than in “The Great Gatsby,” but the lines start to blur obviously. Zakharov represents the careless irresponsible top one percent, inheriting his wealth from his successful billionaire father. Since everything is handed to him on a silver platter, he treats money as disposable. On the other hand, Ani encounters a new world when she meets Zakharov. The film depicts this wealth disparity by contrasting her life before and after meeting Zakharov. It starts by showing Ani’s endless night shift at the strip club, and her necessary charm in service to clients she financially depends on. After meeting Zakharov and becoming his girlfriend for a week, the audience sees pampered massages, expensive cars, and private planes. The film contrasts her once exhausting life as a working woman with her newfound ease, leaving Ani profoundly grateful for the seamless transformation.
Behind the scenes, the audience notices that she is still an outsider, disrespected by whispered gossip calling her an escort and prostitute. Just as Gatsby believes Daisy has his best interests at heart, Ani views Zakharov as an ally. She believes they are in love and will spend the rest of their lives together. When she is left alone with Zakharov’s “babysitters,” (employees of his father) she promises them that Zakharov would never let them hurt her. The illusion slowly wears off and it hits her that she is truly alone. Zakharov belongs to a world that will always ridicule her.
Perhaps the film’s most intriguing facet is how Igor (Yuriy Borisov) mirrors Nick Carraway with his keen observational nature. Igor, one of the people employed by Zakharov’s father to amend his shameful marriage, acts as the intimidating body. He takes on the role of preventing Anora’s escape and threatening strangers into relevant submission. But he passively hides in the background, always blurred behind Ani or quietly observing her behaviors. When Zakharov calls Ani stupid and confirms that they are getting a divorce, Igor watches the humiliation spread and swell Ani’s composure. Most of the film circulates his quiet observance and intense eye contact or the subtle defeat of distant gazing through windows. In these moments, the audience feels most connected to the characters. Clear to the audience, Igor’s subtle care and good-natured heart embody his empathy for Ani. When nobody seems to care, Igor wraps a sleeping Ani in a jacket, offering her a drink after her utter humiliation by Zakharov and his family. Like Gatsby, Ani catches herself in collateral damage and becomes the forgotten mess in the tornado’s vortex, the loose end, forced to live at the expense of the morally bankrupt elite’s whims. Igor offers compassion. Through him, the film exposes the characters’ integrity and emotions. Without saying a word, he unravels Ani’s dark demeanor and offers her true tenderness.
The most obvious similarity between Nick Carraway and Igor is how hidden significant aspects of their lives are, and how their character development becomes overshadowed by surrounding drama. In the novel, Nick realizes it is his birthday in the middle of a fight between Gatsby and Daisy. On this same day, Daisy also hits Myrtle with a car and blames Gatsby. Just like Nick, Igor’s thirtieth birthday occurs during extreme turmoil. On his birthday, Ani and Igor fly to Nevada to annul Ani and Zakharov’s marriage. Nick and Igor’s birth becomes an irrelevant footnote, enveloped by a crisis that has no relevance to them. Their existence becomes irrelevant, devastatingly exposing a void in Igor’s close relationships. Although Ani’s situation invokes pity and sympathy, Igor, the helpless bystander and observer, is the most significant character in a film not named after him.
