Film review
“Anora, a young woman from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.” – That’s how the blurb reads.
The thing is, it’s not really a Cinderella story; it is, in a way, a different take on Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts. The blurb for Pretty Woman read:
“Edward, a rich entrepreneur, hires Vivian, a prostitute, to accompany him to a few social events. Trouble ensues when he falls in love with her, and they try to bridge the gap between their worlds.”
There is a lot of nudity and some sex in this film but it’s not really about that. What the film does show is inequality in the United States, specifically in New York, arguably the most liberal city in Trump’s America.
There’s a lot of racism as well. Nora tells her boss that she’s going to take time off, as a sex worker, whenever she likes until he pays her sickness benefits, proper leave entitlements, and other employee rights. Being Trump’s hometown, the boss refuses.
Anora (Ani), an uzbek American, grew up in a very sleazy part of town … from Brighton Beach once called ‘Little Odessa’. Ani understands conversational Russian, so her boss at the club connects her with Ivan, the son of a Russian oligarch.
One of the funniest scenes is where Anora, a diminutive figure, bashes up on two Armenian gangsters. Classic American slapstick. By the end of the film Anora has won their respect. Things do not turn out well. I won’t tell you the ending, it is nothing like Pretty Woman or Cinderella. – Ian Curr, 14 Jan 2025.
Strangely this film won at the Oscars