ANORA: What Pretty Woman Was Afraid to Be
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- Опубликовано: 25 мар 2025
- A video on Anora (2024) starring Mikey Madison as Ani/Anora vs. Pretty Woman (1990) starring Julia Roberts as Vivian.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:27 - The Princess: Vivian vs Ani
6:50 - Once Upon a Street: S*x & Survival
12:30 - Prince Charming: Edward vs Vanya
19:48 - The Fairy Godfather: Barney vs Igor
24:31 - Happily Never After: Class and Money
Music:
FairyTale Waltz by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com... Artist: incompetech.com/
I had to re-upload the video about Anora because it got limited ads, which is really upsetting. If you see it again, then liking the video and commenting something once again would mean a lot.
I already censor a lot in my content, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness, and it's still not enough. I know people don’t like when creators complain, but it’s frustrating that I can’t pick the topics I want to talk about or discuss movies or edit the way I want to, because it’s all considered "not advertiser-friendly."
I know others take sponsorships, but I’m a huge sociophobe (if you saw my last video, you know this now), and I really don’t want to deal with them, check if they’re legitimate, maybe deal with deadlines, god forbid. I’m sure you’ve watched one of my videos and thought "Why did it take her over a month to make this slop?" Maybe I’ll get there someday…who knows.
I’m also not the type of person to beg for donations or open a Patreon. I’d be okay with something like charging per creation but I’ve seen the news that Patreon is going to stop this. I have no idea what I’d even give you to make regular Patreon worth your tip? I see others give "behind the scenes" updates, but I’m so messy that I’m sure you don’t want to see that, and let’s be real, it’s boring as hell. Plus, I’m scared to disappoint you or not meet your expectations. If I make a video on a movie you love but I trash it, that’s it, bye. I still have flashbacks from uploading that «female biopics» video aka I liked Blonde.
If you have any feedback to give, any wishes, I’d like to hear them. I wanted to make some shorter videos so I can give you something in between the big ones but I don’t know what you would like. Would you be fine watching a short movie review/strictly opinion/first impression on something? Do you want the content to be more personal? Basically, any thoughts/ideas on this channel are appreciated. Rant over…
Personally, I've never thought of any of your films as a "slob". As a creator myself, I know how much work is put even in shorter forms. Your essays bring a lot of joy to others and they should bring you joy as well. I think it would be nice to hear you talk about different perspective when it comes to well known films/characters. When something was talked about/analysed in certain way by many people and you see it in different light. It wouldn't have to be long, because you would bring something new to the table ^^
Your content is beautifully edited and researched and I love to listen to you talk! It is so hard to deal with criticism from others who misinterpret your intentions or take offense to a different opinion you may have. I can't imagine the pressure of that coming from dozens of anonymous internet users. I hope you can see that those people who take offense to your differing opinions and try to frame it as some moral failing or personal transgression suffer from such an immense lack of self confidence that they cannot even accept criticism towards the media they enjoy. I love when you have a different opinion on a movie than I do, it is so interesting to hear how other people think and take in media. I loved this video (both uploads!) and will continue to watch and support you, I know others will do the same :)
I really enjoy your videos, I would be totally on board with shorter videos in between the longer ones maybe with obscure movie recs? Nothing that goes too in depth, just a topic and a handful of movies that explore it well. Or a list of faves by decade. Idk your process so if this would take more effort, feel free to disregard, but just throwing it out there as something I'd be interested in.
Honestly this is why I look forward to your videos, aside from the refreshing perspective and creative video making. The lack of ads or patreon gives it an “old RUclips” feel without the constant advertising after the ads.
I love your videos so much! You have a knack for covering movies or characters that I love and that don't of often see other people analyzing. This character is much loved and VERY tired at this point but maybe you could do an analysis on Effy Stonem from skins, especially the 7th season, Fire. Like how she grew up and what changed in her character. That seems kinda up your alley and there aren't any channels that I can find that covered the 7th season. Keep doing what you do, your videos make my day!
One hint about Vanya not seeing Ani as an equal is that whenever he's playing video games, he never explains to her what's happening, nor invites her to join in.
By the way he's using that gamepad I can tell you that bro has no idea what's happening either.
lol , that just gamers for yoy
We keep watching the same channels!! This is so weird!!
@@s33th1ng_ lol great minds think alike
it's heavily foreshadowed. the way he speaks about his housekeeping staff, speaks to the hotel manager, basically treats the working class folks who facilitate his life, he clearly doesn't see them as human beings and the same extends to Ani as a member of the working class.
that line you dropped about “sex workers are often seen as public property expected to always be available and compliant” had me want to come back to rewatch naturally.
I still don't understand how people can support sex work when this is exactly what it is. Men using the bodies of women as literal living sex toys to their own selfish ends. Sex work is one of the only consistent ways in this world that a woman can not only support herself, but achieve a nice lifestyle without the support of a man. Yet she can't escape the support of a man, because it's what she's there for. This is fucked up for anyone
yup,once you are in there they never wanna let you go either
Worse than public property. Most people don't go our of their way to destroy public property. It's pretty common for SWs to get SA'd, hurt or deleted.
It's just an extreme way of how women in general are viewed in a patriarchal society
@@blackrose-g2xwhich is absolutely not okay but you're also actively showing people that you lack dignity and self respect. As horrible as those things are, why would a sicko think twice about doing any of that when you have proven that you don't even value yourself in the most basic way?..
Out of the three goons, Igor is the only one who shows respect towards Ani, sincerely congratulating her on her marriage, checking on her well being, and even returning her ring, knowing how much it means to her.
He too has to appease the bosses in throughout the entire movie, so Ignor and Anora are more alike than people might think. Yes they work different jobs, but they are portrayed as the underdogs.
and she really felt that kindness that seemed almost impossible to her after all that experience. but there you had a simple guy in an old zhiguli saying it's his grandma's car, who was really caring for her. this deep level of connection that came out from solidarity and empathy is precious. I was surprised by how the story went in a totally different direction but wasn't waiting for the movie to end. I also thought that them engaging romantically/sexually would have ruined everything, but the way Sean Baker made it to happen was simply unique, with tenderness coming out strong and finally her being herself after trying to fill the same usual role for a few seconds.
I also think Ani's 'love' for Vanya is partly more her sense of pride in how good she is at her job. I think Ani is the type of person who likes to tell herself men don't play her, she plays men, so if she decides to make a rich guy fall in love with her, she can pull it off. I think this mindset is to protect her ego and sense of self worth, because if she really let sink in how much she is a pawn here, she is afraid she would no longer have the strength to keep going. She knows on some level this mindset is a false sense of self esteem, but she plays herself a bit just to not face the reality of her life. And that ending is her no longer being able to tell herself she's 'playing' men, she realizes she's having transactional relations with a man without wealth who cannot give her a future, he already gave her the ring back and can't give her anything more, nothing can rescue her from her life now, and she has no more cards left to play.
I've been Ani. I wasn't a s*x worker but I still, I worked in the entertainment field. There's a common thread that binds every field of the entertainment industry.
For me, it was all about finding a safe place to land because I already knew I was a "pawn" as you put it. It's not that the realization would have sapped my strength to keep going. Pawns know they're pawns. It's that I knew my strength was failing me in a very real way and if anyone could have saved me from myself, I would have loved him forever.
On one hand that's childish; people can't save you from yourself. You need to do that on your own. On the other, it's pragmatic -- no matter how much of a loner any of us might be, we all know that deep down we need the emotional support of others to regulate our own stability. And as anyone who's all alone in the world knows, you can't ever let someone see you vulnerable. Perfectly sane, normal people exploit the vulnerable every chance they get -- and then somehow find ways to justify it.
Ani tries to have transactional relations with Igor because she's never been given anything without someone expecting something (usually physical) in return. She has no idea what to do with that kind of intimacy, or how to trust it. It's unfathomable. It must be a set-up of some kind. The reason she breaks down after attacking Igor is because she's realized that she'll probably never be able to tell the difference. Or at least that's my take on it.
This is why I love channels such as this one: The same plot before us all, but so many ways to interpret the events, depending on one's own individual perspective. It's a conversation worth having.
Yeah that's how I felt too. It wasn't really that she was IN love with him, more that she thought she had more control in the situation than she actually did. She meets Vanya at her job -where there's a simulation of her having power- and when he hires her for sex he's so pathetic at it that that he seems more 'harmless', along with his immaturity. She fights and fight because she doesn't want to admit to herself that his wealth always made him more powerful and he overestimated herself.
Agree. And she is also shamed to realize that her buying into the promise of love and the fairytale dream Vanya represents and allowing herself to hope means she is not the empowered professional she thinks she is. She tried to do certain things to be "smart" about it, such as demanding an engagement ring of a certain carat, she usually tries to avoid the worst of the drugs, she ingratiates herself with Vanya's social circle, she gets an expensive fur and clothes, and she does a lot to temper Vanya's impulsivity by trying to 'manage up' with him. But she views herself as a rube who let herself get played by hoping Vanya sees her as something worthwhile and high value because her job skills have made her so, which would be a segue into Vanya loving her. Since he doesn't, she sees that as a professional failure to manage the situation, since that is safer than having to face that she herself is not worthwhile. Going after Igor at the end is an attempt to regain her professional persona and control, but Igor reacts to her as a person, which is not what she wants, since that makes her vulnerable and she wants the control her professional persona grants her over others and herself.
@@blatherskitenoir I can agree with that. I can remember feeling ashamed just for having any dreams, or desiring anything as unrealistic as a fairytale. I often presented myself as not wanting it because I didn't want anyone to see me as pathetic for reaching for something I wasn't good enough for.
Then again, I’m pretty sure that’s what most sex workers tell themselves.
It never matters what family you were born into, how limited your education was, or how low your IQ was; once you stepped into the place where sex appeal is what gets you your income, all of that was behind you. You became “one of them”; you could be so successful at being an object of sexual desire, for a bunch of losers and pervs (Who either probably could never scored in their lives or are trying to rack up “a body count”, just as much as some of the latter….), here for the world to watch or pay to give you. By advancing a concept like that, it’s why nothing ever ends. Yet, once the dust settles, what’s gonna happen to most of these sex workers? Either:
1. Most of them grow up to be horribly depressed.
2. Any who have insecurities about themselves only grow worse.
3. Most grow a dependency on certain addictions.
4. They lose track of or abandoned any/all hobbies and passions they had.
5. They become alienated by most of their close friends or family.
6. Most lose out on a number of relationships with people whom they did have close and sincere connections with.
7. Their psychological connections between intimacy and sex end up becoming so damaged, that it literally becomes so much more easier to perform sexually with someone you hardly even know one thing about (Maybe even while inebriated.), than with someone they love and care for.
While I don’t know what to make of Sean Baker and Mikey Madison’s statements after winning their awards and there have been plenty of movies which probably did this type of message before, I feel like Anora manages to tell everyone watching how this can someday be one of us. And is that what anyone wants?
I can understand why Ani got so swept up in the fantasy, Ivan was clearly persuing her. Sex worker or not, I think most girls would feel something for a rich attractive guy who spoils you with gifts, traveling and wants to get married, introduces you to his friends and is able to joke around with you and basically whisk you away from your life into a happy and wealthier one. I really did feel like they had chemistry in beginning which is so obviously intentional.
So by the time he runs and leaves her, we are just as confused as she is. Just like her, people wanted to see where he went, what he was doing and how he was feeling. The whole time you could see Ani had that sinking feeling in her gut that she didn't want to believe, but she made excuses because she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Even when hes caught cheating at the same strip club where she worked at, she still allows him room to explain himself. It just shows that for people like Ivan, proposing and suggesting such serious things means nothing to him except a form of escapism. He basically loses nothing at the end of the movie, just dragged back to Russia like a sulking child. Meanwhile she mentally devastated, without a job or any idea of what she wants to do next with her life. While Ivans is perfectly packed and waiting for him. He was the one who suggested to get serious and it ended up only really affecting her deeply.
Even though she has been used to being objectified and used by men most of her life, she still found the pureness in her heart to be loyal, kind, understanding and picture a romantic life with her husband. I think the ending scene when she's breaking down is finally grieving the pain of having that pureness ruined.
yo i resonate with your comment, i had the same experience and thoughts. especially in the beginning, i wanted to believe it. i did be skeptical tho xD but tbh the arc where he runs away completely caught me off guard i was so confused just like you said.
thanks for sharing your thoughts and helping me process this movie haha! greetings from germany
As a dancer, she always has a job. It's common for a dancer to hop from club to club, and actually makes good financial sense, as at a new club she'll have "new face appeal", and get more dances. That part of the plot didn't make sense to me. I suppose they were trying to show that she was putting all her eggs in one basket. But irl, if a dancer is banned from one club, for whatever reason, she'll just find a new one. She wouldn't feel like she's giving much up by getting herself banned. She won't even miss having friends at work, since even though she's a "new girl", she probably knows some of the girls, since they all move around the same circle of clubs.
@@carolsimpson4422 I agree that sex always sells but realistically she's at a dead end and she knows it. There is really not much else she can elevate to, this profession makes it very hard to advance into anything else, let alone leave.
Before she was okay with being a sex worker but now that she's experienced domestic bliss and being married and stable, I dont think she'll ever view her job the same.
Plus, she can only do it for so long before she's not considered young enough to draw in customers. This money all comes at a cost of selling yourself and your values.
I watched Anora and then immediately rewatched Pretty Woman afterwards, and there was something I noticed upon my rewatch of the latter, Edward didn't grow up wealthy. His dad divorced his mom and left them destitute, it's something he and Vivian have in common that I never noticed before. They don't talk about it a lot, he doesn't even say he grew up poor. He just said he left them without money. Ani and Vanya didn't have that in common though. Vanya grew up wealthy, and though both Vanya and Edward acted like they had money to burn, Edward came by his money by working for it (if it's honestly or not, is arguable). Vanya did not.
I agree with what you said at the very end about how she might not actually go back to work the following morning. The embarrassment would be real indeed. There was that coworker of hers she was always beefing with that warned her early on it would last at most 2 weeks. The shame of having to face her knowing she was right was too much.
I didn’t realise that Pretty Woman was a Disney movie. I’ve been saying, when people talk about Ani/Vanya’s relationship as a fairytale, that Pretty Woman is the Disney fairy tale and Anora is the Brother’s Grimm one that Disney adapted👀🙈
Another point: most s*x workers refuse to kiss clients as it means a very deep form of intimacy, which in my opinion is why Ani rejects Igor when he tries to kiss her.
I thought it was interesting in Pretty Woman Julia Roberts' character says she doesn't kiss clients, but Roberts is literally being paid to kiss Richard Gere in real life.
Of course there is a precedent set that neither actor has romantic intentions.
I’m a ‘spicy’ dancer from a former Soviet country who moved to the states as a baby. I had the ‘happily ever after’ with a seemingly kind wealthy man, and it led to my life being controlled.
The real happy ending for these women is being able to create a meaningful life by themselves and for themselves. Or at least that’s how it’s playing out for me 🫣
I wish you a happy, meaningful life of self-determination 🙏
You are so strong, leaving the false security that gives is so hard. I wish you such a happy life.
I hope you are doing well and that you are in a good emotional/ mental space.
I wish you the best in the future. May you attain the life you want 🤗
Although I was not a s*x worker and my ex was not rich, this was strikingly similar to my story back in 2010. I wish you'd been there to explain it to me -- you did so beautifully here. Thank you for seeing the woman I was as a person.
And for correctly interpreting a movie of course. So many miss the point nowadays.
I honestly feel the marketing for this movie was intentional. I went into this thinking it was going to be a happy ending but ended up crying with her. If anything, i think it reflects how Ani must have felt during this whole ordeal. The ups and downs idk
I agree. I went into the movie thinking it would be a Pretty Woman storyline and cried my eyes out by the end. It was cleverly thought out for sure.
Honestly, after watching Anora, I thought that Ani knew she didn’t really love Vanya, but she loved the potential of a future with him. So I was kind of surprised when I found out that this was an adaptation of the classic Cinderella story.
However, I think she got caught up in Vanya - anyone would be honestly. Being thrown into wealth and power is intoxicating, and despite Ani obviously being pretty intelligent and smart, she still fell for wealth and power. I really feel for her.
thank you for adding the background of both movies by explaining the original intent in the scripts! It adds so much more context to the messaging of the movies
While watching the scenes where they went searching for Ivan, they kept asking Ani for locations he could possibly be at. Ani couldn't mention anything besides the candy shop and the few clubs they'd frequented. Those scenes encapsulates perfectly how little they knew each other. Also the handlers knowing him since birth and asking her for places, I read it as cynicism.
With the marketing pushing the "Pretty Woman" comparisons, you might go into this film thinking that it's going to be a romantic comedy with a happy ending, though you'd be highly mistaken. I like this film's ending more, since it's more brutally realistic, though with an element of hope.
yeah, I read lots of comments online by people who refused to watch the film because they think it's a modern version of Pretty woman that romanticizes sex working, when it's not like that at all. Maybe marketing should sell a more accurate image of the film.
The ending was trying to be poetic about smth obvious we could all tell. It was lacking
@@barbiem5572 I would have to disagree with this premise. The ending wasn't poetic at all. If anything, it harshly grounds the film in reality after taking us on what feels like a fever dream of a ride. But again, it's a matter of perspective, that's how I perceived it, you may have perceived it different.
I dont think anybody watches pretty woman for realism, is a romantic comedy.
What elements of hope you saw? Bcs for me it seemed the opposite: the desperation of having no hopes
Pretty woman is also heavily based on an old movie musical: My Fair Lady. But Audry Hepburn's character had a thick Cockney accent and sells flowers on the streets (which is often used as a metaphor for sex). The male love interest is a wealthy linguistic professor who bets his friends that he can teach anyone to speak 'properly'. Eliza hears this and then, she approaches him for lessons so she can sound 'proper' and open her own flower shop.
Selling flower is not mataphor for sex. The entire plot of my fair lady is based on the play pygmalion by George Bernard show. It was to show that it is all about how one looks and speaks that matters, you will be welcomed and accepted in high society if you can look and speak like them, doesn't matter if you actually are educated and rich , just the presentation is enough. It goes to prove presentation is everything, the high society which acts like it is very knowledgeable and are of fine qualities is actually very superficial
You saying ‘’calling it a betrayal suggests that there was real trust and love to begin with and there wasn’t ani simply messed up she bet everything on Something that wasn’t real and lost’’ made me cry because personally I wasn’t sure what I was feeling for a long time and you put it in to words
I feel like many people overlook this film as a “strippers materialistic wet dream” and insist on never watching it because seeing any form of female nudity makes them uncomfortable. Which is such a shame because Mikey delivers such a realistic and grounded performance as Ani and genuinely supports the sex worker community as an ally. Also the film is not a romcom that romanticizes the marriage between Ivan and Anora. Half of the film is literally the disillusionment of the fantasy.
There’s this puritanical attitude that many western audiences still feel about R-rated films, that sex on screen is inherently amoral and that women playing sex workers are “as bad” as sex workers. They place themselves on a high horse and judge women of low class, who make ends meet by participating in a market that has always been of high demand (funny how the men who hire these women never get blamed).
Viewers should be more open to watching this film as well as listening to women who are sex workers instead of immediately labeling them as trash or amoral. Because they’re humans too and they don’t deserve to be played with like Ani is played with by Ivan and his family. It’s a genuinely funny black comedy with highly skilled actors, and Sean Baker has always dedicated his craft to telling stories of the lower classes, especially women who try to survive in a world that is unforgiving towards them.
I think the story is interesting and would love to read a book of it, but I'm not interested in watching sex scenes
You "non-puritannical" audiences are the ones who can't handle any type of criticism without dismissing it as sex negativity or pearl-clutching moralism.
I don't speak for everyone, but I know that some people who question nudity scenes (sex scenes or implied nudity is another story) don't think it's bad or that sex workers are bad, but it may easily fall into the male gaze and objectification of actresses body, I rarely feel the nudity shots are necessary and I think it's doubly unfortunate if the piece of media tries to make a commentary about agency or objectification. Like you said, sex workers are humans too so I wouldn't like to see the camerawork encouraging the viewers to objectify them, give them some dignity! Give us POV of the worker, not the clients! Feminine suffering as a spectacle is too frequent and sometimes without a point anyway. I wonder how Sean Baker sees the importance of those shots. Still, it's unfortunate some poeple dismiss the main character as materialistic subhuman who doesn't know her place, they must have so much empathy! /s
@@CureSmilefulI personally didn’t feel like any of the shots were objectifying. They were showing women at their place of work, talking in their dressing room, talking to their customers and focusing on their hustle instead of lingering on their bodies (besides the opening shot).
@@creature_maria I don’t think sex on screen is either bad or good. The context of the scenes matter. In this instance, the film is about an exotic dancer, so naturally there are shots of her at her place of work, hustling. But sex scenes for pure shock value or titillation are another conversation. I’m not against having no sex scenes at all, but the knee-jerk reaction to on-screen nudity is more reductive than constructive.
I’ve been hooked on this idea ever since reading The Seduction Alchemy by Sophie Carter. Why isn’t everyone talking about it? GIRLS, you NEED to check it out!
truly a good book🤗
Will definitely check it out.
Thanks for sharing
Bot.
I think the reason I like this movie so much is because of Mikey Madison. I’m in awe of her talent!!
I enjoyed Anora it wasn't my favorite movie of 2024 as that's still The Substance but I thought Mikey Madison did a great job capturing the life of sex workers she showed the fragility and intricacies of what life is like for them but also infused her portrayal with a lot of physical comedy as well she definitely deserved the Oscar
I don’t really have any interest in watching Anora but I will pretty much watch anything you put out because your videos are consistently well-researched, thoughtful, and you somehow make subjects I find generally uninteresting fascinating.
It's a good movie if you can handle the inherent seediness of the culture the characters inhabit.
Same
For the ending (I have yet to see the movie again, but I want to) I thought that Ani was going back to something familiar, meaning the sex, as a defense mechanism after everything that’s happened, and the kindness Igor offered her.
She couldn’t really take it anymore, and she tried to get control of the situation through it. But then Igor starts reciprocating with intimacy, and Ani hasn’t been really shown something that goes deeper than transactional intimacy (as you said) so she breaks down.
I also thought the entire movie that Igor might’ve been falling a bit for Ani, but maybe it was too short of a window of time to really say that he was feeling something deeper than attraction. Though, he was presented as a really nice guy and a contrast to Vanya anyways, so maybe it was intended like that…?
I noticed Ivan was a narcissist from the beginning when he incessantly lovebombed her in such a short amount of time and realized the danger Ani was in before the goons even showed up. During the last half of the movie, the entire time, I was thinking about how difficult it must have been for her to have a glimpse of a life and financial security she's never had, only to have it taken away from her just as quickly. This movie touches on a lot of real life situations and touches on a lot of things like mental illness, wealth inequality, classism, and the distressing truth of sex work.
I really appreciate when you hilight the differences between the script and final movie- it's so interesting! Thanks for the hard work you put into these videos 💖
I've been getting into debates with people claiming Anora was just porn. Then, from their side, claiming Mikey is nothing but an escort irl. I really do not understand that side .
That’s like saying Saving Private Ryan is just gratuitous violence.
That's just misogyny. It is what it is.
The amount of Academy Award wins this movie got had people with some WILD takes making truly silly discourse. I get that the "white man with nude protagonist" director thing kept everyone on edge (and the endless digging on whom he follows in social media), but this is really one where people needed more media literacy, clearly the director's body of work shows he was far from doing p0rn, glamorization and fetish.
@@MeliDMR93our culture is so puritanical that we end up rebranding conservative values as woke. Female nudity does not automatically = misogyny. The way Sean Baker approached filming Mikey in this role was imo very respectful and the nudity is necessary to establish her job and relationship with Vanya. It wasn’t nearly as sex riddled as a movie of this nature could be (like the idol for example)
To be fair, if most went into this movie seeing the first 30 - 45 minutes, I could probably see that argument being made.
But after that, when things start to get much more serious, the movie drops that whole angle. Even the ending, which is a scene of Anora initiating intercourse with Igor, is nothing to be seen as enticing, but depressing.
rewatching bc this was well made and you deserve compensation and views for the hard work you put into each video
“what pretty woman was afraid to be” UGH THE TITLE IS PERFECTION, CANT WAIT TO WATCH THE VIDEO
I immediately subscribed after seeing your first upload of this. Your analysis is so enlightening and digs into the gap between the reality of romance/sex and the fantasy of it. I haven't seen Anoria but your analysis makes me curious. It kind of reminds me of Maid
Every time I see Pretty Woman, the character that sticks in my heart like a fishbone is Kit. Vivian gets to go off into the fantasy with Edward (who definitely would not be charming if not for Gere), but Kit is mired in the reality of life. "[A]s if all the other women and girls were born for this type of work"(5:36) is really the basis of all these Pretty Woman-esque "romance" stories. It's kind of like the special kid obsession in fantasy or dystopian books, only it's the special girl who has been mistaken for dirt until someone wipes off the dirt and reveals the diamond that was always underneath
commenting to help! you posted the video at the right time and i really appreciate your takedown of both movies
I find your videos incredibly articulated and interesting, no slob whatsoever in sight. I feel you are completely entitled to complain about what's basically some kind of veiled censorship (if we can even call it that). You should be able to talk about whatever you want; we all know there is incredibly violent and graphic content being promoted on this platform every single day, so it's not really about the topics, but rather about how these are discussed and how some try and push to police that. We have been raised to see complaining as "weak" and annoying, but when complaining is merely a reflection of systemic flaws, it's valid. As a perfectionist often paralysed by fear of failure, I think you putting your work out there is incredibly brave. You keep doing what you're doing.
I loved this essay about Anora, specially the comparison with Pretty Woman and bringing up the original screenplay 3000 which was definitely more tonally like Anora, I do disagree slightly that Ivan and Anora never shared feelings for each other, we see Anora from the beginning blurring the professional lines with him because he's so goofy and cute, looking at him longingly without him noticing, I might be biased because I find Mark very attractive, but I feel she was smitten with him and looking forward to see him again, so by the time they got married and together she probably hoped to just live a chill life with him, as naive as that sounds.
Now, Ivan is definitely spoiled, immature, not ready for marriage, anything like that, but I do think he did care in his twisted way about Anora, he didn't want to leave her alone with the goons, but given that he's really afraid of his parents reaction so after she doesn't go with him right away he flees, and when he tells her off at the plane I see some regret in his expression, again I'm probably wrong but I don't think it was that cut and dry.
About your pinned comment - rant appreciated! You're putting so much effort into your videos already. Personally, your channel has me constantly discovering new books, movies, directors, artists, you name it. (i actually rushed to the library after your "the piano teacher" video and devoured the book in a day). You're honestly one of my top favourite youtube creators. So if you're still thinking about patreon, putting out similar style videos to what you're already creating (i.e. extra content) would be more than enough. Just like some asmr creators upload more of their videos on patreon without changing the content itself. But i get your feelings about it! Just know that your content is already incredibly good. Trust yourself with this
I simply adore adore adore your videos, as always well written and clearly so much time & effort goes into researching. The editing itself is something else entirely.
I heavily disagree that there isn't at least SOME connection between Ani and Ivan. It's not the healthiest love that could exist, and Ivan is not nearly mature enough for such a committed relationship like a marriage, but Ivan asks her "are you happy" and shares drugs with her and asks to meet her parents and has a heartbreaking conversation with his parents about why his marrying a stripper would be such a big deal anyway. He is VERY selfish, but Ani does seem genuinely charmed by how uncomplicated and light his fun-loving personality is. I think that's what makes the journey so heartbreaking - I think about the possibility that maybe he would have grown up because of her (although it would not have been her responsibility to change him, let me be clear), especially since he seems so gutted to lose her when he puts up a big front and rudely talks to her before they go on the plane; it's like he's trying to convince himself she doesn't mean anything to him.
Again, not disputing that there isn't a transactional component to their relationship, but I'm saying it's not ALL that, there's some chemistry, some spark there.
thanks for putting it into words, agreed!
Maybe it's not "some kind of love", but just how naivety and immaturity. And how we have the bar so low for men that he offering scrubles of being nice already seems like some sort of love
I’m so glad you caught that she tried to teach him to have sex in a more pleasurable way for both only for him to immediately revert to what he likes to do. I’ve seen quite a few reviews, summaries and essays, and that’s not mentioned. If there was any illusion that maybe he did genuinely like her (I never thought he did), it was gone when that happened.
Love this video!! I would love to see you discuss American Gigolo (1980) when Gere plays a gigolo to very wealthy ladies and to Pretty Woman and Anora. Gigolo is quite dark and says a lot about how the rich prey on the struggling and poor and throw them away without a second thought. The issue of power in the film is fascinating -especially between men as Gere finds himself in a very vulnerable position (framed for a crime - a rich man uses Gere as a scapegoat)
15:31 escapism for both of them is so true
The thing that confuses me the most with the conversation around Anora is people calling it a hilarious comedy? I thought it was so dark. I'm guessing the comparison to Pretty Woman is planting the idea that it is a comedy?
I assume the comedy aspect people are talking about are like the little moments when Toros and the other guy act goofy
There is a lot of comedy on it, but it is dark comedy. I wouldn't call the entire movie a comedy, tho. Dramedia at best.
I was laughing at the fight scene but it was more because of how crazy it was and funny how the guys were getting there ass kicked but didn't want to properly fight back but needed to restrain her. I wouldn't say any other bits were "funny" to me maybe amusing the bit of her cussing out the mother
@@slimeyerin i found the assault played as comedy very uncomfortable to watch. She had no other choice but to fight for her survival. She only fought back because they were trying to assault her and succeeded because they tied her up. Not letting her leave and tying her up was ridiculously dehumanizing and in real situations where women are held hostage in this way they are normally SA/rape. I didn't find any aspect of that scene funny.
@ @ayala360 i dont think they were trying to assault her honestly. They were just trying to keep her from running off. Which isn’t right still. But they were more thinking about how much trouble they would be in if they didn’t get both her and vanya to get their divorce. They weren’t like violent or enjoying it
Anora's ending hit me differently. Ani began to thank Igor via sex, then it morphed into intimacy for them both.
I had no concerns re where they'd be a day later, or a year later. They enjoyed those moments together and it was beautiful.
I wrote a pretty lengthy letterboxd review on Anora's ending and reached a very similar conclusion. Anora's interaction with men is almost exclusively transactional, while Igor is the only person who's kind to her without asking for anything in return. Although I think this makes Igor come off as a Captain Save-A-Hoe, and women (especially sex workers) do not like and are not attracted to Captain Save-A-Hoe types.
Yesss like I really have conflicting feeling abt this character bc it feels very “only I can see your worth, so you should pick me”.
@@khrystaliah well beggar can't be chooser
it's like a roundabout way to say that she didn't deserve a wealthy and put together man, she deserve the good man she would never look at if her life was better.
Judging on character alone, Igor deserves way better. Bro didn't even ask for anything in return. And let's be realistic, when these sex workers start to long for a family, assuming some of them do want it, who will welcome them except Save-A-Hoe
I kind of agree? Though captain save a hoe characters are usually "rewarded" with the girl in the end. I dont think rhats what happens in Anora at all. She refused to kiss him, and the intimacy scene in the end wasn't romantic. It was a desperate coping mechanism, an attempt to gain control back for Anora.
Wonderful video. I remember seeing some echoes between the two movies while watching Anora, but I never knew about the dark original script of Pretty Woman. I loved this video so much that I've watched it 3 times now (twice before reupload). You manage to break down the parts of Anora that felt lacking and confusing to me and add reasoning and meaning to them. Like the ending for example, which left me feeling baffled and defeated at first but now I see the potential significance of it, thank you for your work ❤
Watching, liking, and commenting because your work is good and this video was particularly good.
What an excellent video. This was so good. Definitely deserves more views
As always, your video essays are super smart and amazing... slay.
this is the best Anora video i've seen yet.
you touch on all the important topics. thank you.
Great video as always, love this channel!!
The actor say Vanya is romantic out of the perspective of Annie because compared to other clients he treats her way better then other people so she lies to herself this is love and romantic
I don’t think she thinks it's love. You see that throughout trying to stop the divorce she never appeals to his love for her, rather she hammers on him to assert his independence from the people trying to control him.
Great video, I really like Sean Baker and his portrayal of sad fairy tales
Great channel, I love your unique topics and opinions. Thank you.
I thought there may be room to consider that Ani does like Igor in some capacity but because he treats her as a person first and not a sexual object, like almost every man in the film does, she has a hard time reciprocating that kindness and lashes out at him bc it’s foreign to her.
“We accept the love we think we deserve”
hoping this comment helps boost!! i was actually watching this video this morning, but didn't have time to finish it until 8 hours later. i went to check the comments, but saw that the video was suddenly unlisted! i really enjoyed this video, so i went hunting for a public version of it lol. censorship really sucks. the work you put into your videos is appreciated, really interesting commentary, will be watching more!
Really enjoyed that comparison, thank you!❤
Wow this was so well thought and and written! I just watched Anora and loved how you broke it down with Pretty Woman!
Thank you for this video 😊
I love your takes on everything
Great analysis! Keep up the good work :)
I like. I rewatch. I appreciate. 😄
I didn’t hear of Anora until this year, and tbh i wasn’t interested in watching it, but now i want to 🙏🏼 thank you for this toughtful analysis
Amazing as always.
a fabulous analysis once again 👏👏
i think making igor and anora engage on a sexual way on the end actually showed the audience who anora was, we finally get to see the vulnerability and it doesnt goes too much into it but it doesnt need to, we could tell throught the movie she saw herself as an object and her problem w intimacy and her crying at the end and while literally having sex I think it was just the best way to end the movie
Excellent writing, specially the ending.
video so nice i watched it twice
Commenting to boost: I watched your first upload and loved it! GREAT work.
BEST ANORA TAKE EVER!!!!
excellent video, thanks !
Re around 15:05, that's why I try not to watch interviews w directors, I don't know if they're misleading on purpose to get people to watch the film but I heard an interview with Sean about his last film Red Rocket -- he mentioned that the 17-year-old main character had a lot of 'agency' in her relationship with a 40-something-year-old man, and I was like -- did we watch the same movie?! cuz I just watched two hours of a girl with no agency in her life losing the little she had
nooo way, I watched Red Rocket as I was making this video but I didn't read his interviews about it...
Sometimes I do think it’s what the PR team and the studio wants them to say. And sometimes I think they actually believe what they’re saying. It’s pretty hard to tell either way, but lately I lean more towards PR talking points.
I was never a big fan of Pretty Woman and I felt a bit bitter about it, but you brought light to issues that I tried to ignore in order to have fun watching it. Great video.
In a page full of meaningless content, yours truly stands out in the best way possible. RUclips may censor you but their opinion is meaningless anyway, keep posting and watching great movies!!!
My main problem is how she is only presented as a real human when a man treats her like a person, not because she is a real human
always enjoy your videos and clicked on this one so fast both times it was uploaded! while I prefer longform content, I understand it takes a lot to create and would watch quicker takes too (though I think some viewers have taken issue with them in the past....)
Great video as always ❤
I could write a very long and intricated comment about how anora is a great movie and pretty woman is good too and about how complex Ani's character is but I just gonna say that the difference is that when pretty woman was in theaters being a prostitute was a ugly and bad things and now with instagram and Only Fans being literally a prostitute (don't come me with euphemisms like model and influencer when we all know what they end up doing anyways) is inspirational and the best solucion in our crumbly late capitalism society where honorable jobs don't pay enough to feed and house a young woman. Losing Fernanda's oscar to Mickey doesn't hurt my brazilian heart, the girl was incredible on it, it felt like a dommentary.
No one sees prostitution as aspirational.
@chrystianaw8256 boy oh boy how I wish you were right! Nobody sees PROSTITUTION as aspiration, but slap a new and cute name on it and you will see teenagers sighing and yearning to become one too.
Commenting to boost ❤ thank you for sharing your work!
Great vid!
Love ur videos ❤
I agree that the last scene was her last walk of shame
I disagree about Igor. He had ulterior motives from the start. He was attracted to Ani. Men do "nice things for women that they are attracted to
I find it interesting that most believe in the fairytale
Seriously enjoy your vids 🎀
If she’s such an experienced sex worker, shouldn’t she have been aware that people in that economic level would never have accepted her into their world? Despite promising live & marriage? And wasn’t Vanya’s immaturity abundantly clear to Ani from day 1? These are the things that bothered me with this movie. And the fact that she kept getting angry when she was called a prostitute. That’s what she was. Why get angry? Her best friend describes her nail style as whore. I find these discrepancies as bothersome in the writing and therefore makes this movie very unbelievable for an experienced sex worker. They wouldn’t be that naive. They know damn well how they’d be regarded as someone who owns their own jet
She was holding on to a fairytale fantasy to sustain her self worth while she does sex work, as is mentioned in the video. I personally found her naivety plausible because I too had a similar experience of being fed a fantasy and disillusionment as a young girl searching for a way out through a wealthy man who seemingly wanted to offer me everything and being disillusioned after being used. It works because to an isolated and lonely person that kind of offer of security and freedom is irresistible. Even in someone who scoffs at fairytale endings now, there’s an inner child that once genuinely believed in that ending and that child searches for that perfect ending when reality is unbearable.
I don't think there's a contradiction, as many pointed out in the comments, she WANTED to believe in the fantasy, she WANTED to have a better life. Also, as someone else said, since she saw how immature and somewhat naive Vanya was, she thought she could control him (and by extension, his family, if they were like him). Deep down she knew it wasn't true, but she thought she could make it true or at least she hoped that
Couldn't agree more 👍
Are you a guy?
@@MariaPaula-uw3ds Shhh, sex workers aren't allowed to make mistakes or be human lol.
Lovedd this ❤
It would be interesting to know your thoughts on Lilya 4ever, which I feel is a much darker, bleaker iteration of this type of story
so good you had to upload it twice yup yup
I didn’t knew Disney had something to do with pretty woman, that completely explains the happy ending
I have not watched wither of these movies, but I appreciate your analysis nonetheless!
Sorry if it is a personal question, but are you by any chance somehwere from Easter Europe or probably Russia? It is just that you pronounce the name "Igor" so flawlessly like russian (or a language which has similar letters) is your first language
Yes, I'm Russian
@ hope your channel prospers further (твои анализы героинь и фильмов лучшие что я встречала)
Although fan of either movie, Anora is equally problematic (if not more so) than 'Pretty Woman' The ending scene of Anora is a disgrace in one of the the most explicitly anti feminist in a long time. An actress of Mikey Madison's talent deserved so much more.
Such a good deep dive
RUclips sucks man. I loved ur thumbnail.
l'll miss it
Leaving a tactic like and comment! ❤
tacit*
Great video
hey! i liked the old thumbnail ;) that fur coat ...
Commenting for the almighty algo.
15:06 • yess fr, it didn't feel like an actual relationship!
Hi thank so much for the video! I loved this filmed and I love your film analyses! Question, where do you usually find the different versions of the scripts you quote from?
Video full of great thoughts
23:26 Wow, this scene from the script in the car at the end is lifted straight from the “3000” script. I think Sean Baker owes J.F. Lawton some money…
this was a great video but I wish you and other viewers did not gloss over the fact that the first time Mickey meets Igor she is ASSUALTED by him. And after being confronted with the fact Anora felt assaulted and feared she could have been raped, Igor does not self reflect on what that makes him as a person (laughing it off, DENYING, "i did not want to rape you). After Ani tries to be emotionally vulnerable, he shuts her down and is only able to reciprocate the physical vulnerability later on. That is why the final scene is so impactful. They BOTH have broken approaches to intimacy, in different ways. If you truly cared about someone, you wouldn't engage with them sexually after assaulting them. Because you would regret your actions and put yourself in their position. He only saw her as a person when it didn't challenge his own morality and principles. Offering someone a scarf is the bare minimum. Even when there is sympathy, she is viewed as a sex worker primarily and women (but SW'ers in general) are engaged with physically - not in difficult conversations. And men specifically categorize them in that way.