Assuming you have already read the headline, yes, “Anora” was a great film, and I adore its many aspects, starting with how the Oscars are finally awarding more independent films for their hard work. However, given the movies it was going against, “Anora” did not deserve the Oscar for Best Picture.
For those of you who didn’t watch “Anora,” it’s an independent film produced by Sean Baker from Neon Studios about a sex worker named Ani who falls in love with a wealthy Russian, the son of an oligarch named Vanya. The two of them get married after just a few days of getting to know each other, and once the news of their marriage reaches Vanya’s parents in Russia, the parents set out to New York to get their son and annul his marriage with Ani.
First, I’m going to talk about the argument that states “Anora” deserved the win for finally acknowledging the work of sex workers and their humanity, as well as the counterargument that states the film is pushing young women to join this industry. In my opinion, no, there is nothing about “Anora” that is inherently advertising a sex-worker lifestyle to young women, if anything, it is showing how Ani is consistently trapped in her line of work, which I will explain in further detail later.
Mikey Madison, the actress who portrayed Ani, might be an advocate for the sex worker community, but Sean Baker’s film isn’t. While “Anora” does follow a young woman who is a sex worker, it does little to empower and uplift sex workers.
The common counterargument I heard when discussing my opinion on this film is, “Well, this just shows you didn’t get the point of the movie,” so let me just put this out in the open: I get it; many people believe the movie’s message is meant to empower women, empower sex workers, and how sex workers need to be protected. However, there are very few scenes that actually express these messages, and the vast majority of the film is spent focusing on finding Vanya instead of Ani’s life and troubles as a sex worker. If the film had explored these messages deeper, I would have agreed that it was deserving of the best picture, but it just didn’t have the depth everyone claimed it has.
The movie did make a point to stress how sex workers and women, in general, can end up in a cycle. In the ending scene, we see Ani having sex with Igor, a character who has helped her throughout the film, as it is the only way she can think of repaying him for his kindness, but midway through, we see her breakdown crying, which shows how despite everything she is still stuck in the same position as at the beginning of the movie. This movie shows that lack of love can transform your idea of love and can make you settle for any ounce of attention; that is what I believe is the real meaning behind the film.
Now let’s look at its contenders:
- “The Brutalist”
- “I’m Still Here”
- “Emilia Perez”
- “Conclave”
- “Wicked”
- “Dune Part Two”
- “The Substance”
- “Nickel Boys”
- “A Complete Unknown”
I would argue that out of all the nominees, “I’m Still Here,” “The Substance,” and “A Complete Unknown” deserved to win more than “Anora.” Why, you may ask? Let me explain.
First, I think it’s criminal that Timothee Chalamet won nothing for his performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.” Chalamet spent five years of his life preparing for this movie, but he received no awards for his hard work. His performance was impeccable, and his singing was almost the same as that of Bob Dylan.
“The Substance” expresses a woman’s internalized violence and resentment towards beauty standards in a genre that has never depicted this issue before: horror. The film was phenomenal, and its win would have finally given more recognition to horror films and originality in Hollywood. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley’s performances were out of this world and left me wanting more.
Before I explain why “I’m Still Here” deserved the win over “Anora,” let me point out my personal bias so that I am being completely transparent with you. I am Brazilian, which means I hold this movie very dear to my heart. “I’m Still Here” is, like “Anora,” an independent film, so its win would still help bring recognition to independent filmmakers. The movie is a heart-wrenching story about the separation of a family during the military dictatorship of Brazil. Over four million Brazilians alone bought a ticket to see this movie, which sadly was hardly played in American theaters. The performance by Fernanda Torres alone was impeccable, but sadly, she was snubbed of the Best Leading Actress award just like her mother was years before.
“I’m Still Here” did win best international feature film, which marked Brazil’s first ever Oscar, but it deserved more than that. It’s almost as if Brazil is educated in the whole world but the rest of the world knows little about Brazil besides Brazilian soccer and music. This movie puts Brazilian history on the map.
Even with “Anora” winning, I’m still glad independent films are getting the recognition they deserve. We need more original films like “Anora” and “The Substance” more than ever before so we can stop the cycle of constantly getting live action movies, franchises and remakes.
