Telluride: ‘Anora’ relaunches after Cannes Palme d’Or win with standing ovation for Mikey Madison

Christopher Rosen
·5 min read

This year’s Telluride Film Festival was not short on mononyms. There was Martha, as in Stewart, the subject of R.J. Cutler’s excellent Netflix documentary “Martha.” There were Angelina, Pablo, and Maria, as in, respectively, Jolie, Larrain, and Callas, the subject of the Netflix biographical drama “Maria.” There was Trump, as in the former president, who is played to perfection by Sebastian Stan in “The Apprentice.” And there was Bing, the Great Dane who won over audiences in the tearjerker “The Friend.” 

But with due respect given to the acclaimed names above, none made a bigger impact on the festival than “Anora.” Sean Baker’s bold, hilarious, exhilarating new film had its North American debut in Colorado over Labor Day weekend, and the Palme d’Or winner played to packed houses and was often mentioned as a standout among attendees. During its screening on Sunday morning at the Werner Herzog Theater, the largest venue at the event, countless attendees were reportedly turned away. (A similar attendance crunch happened with fellow Cannes winner and equally buzzy title, “Emilia Perez.”)

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Starring Mikey Madison in a truly star-making role, “Anora” focuses on its title character, a sex worker in Brooklyn who finds herself in the middle of a Cinderella story when Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch, sweeps her off her feet and into a hasty wedding. But once the dust settles and Vanya’s family and stateside handlers get wind of the heir’s matrimony, all hell breaks loose. Vanya runs, and Anora and a trio of hired goons (played exceptionally by Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Yura Borisov) must form an uneasy alliance to find him.

Madison, who received a standing ovation on Sunday at the end of the film, said Baker called her for the role after seeing the actress in 2022’s “Scream.”

“I was very surprised that you wanted to meet me, and also excited,” she said during a Q&A moderated by David Lowry, one of several filmmakers who expressed major enthusiasm for the film. “It was one of the easiest casting processes that I’ve ever been through. I’ve never had someone write a role for me before. We all just really liked each other, and it worked out well.”

To play Anora, Madison spent a lot of time with real-life sex workers and dancers, many of whom appear in the film’s club scenes. “I’m the only woman who is not actually a dancer, so I wanted to really fit in and for us all to have specific relationships,” Madison said. “And, you know, just like listening in the locker room, listening to how everyone spoke, and then also, visiting [the gentleman’s club used in the film].” Madison said she even shadowed a dancer one night to understand the full experience.

The work paid off for the star, who is best known for the FX comedy “Better Things” and her memorable appearance in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Madison is a top contender for Best Actress.

Before “Anora” screened at Telluride for its North American debut, some wondered if the film would find as much success as it did at the Cannes Film Festival, particularly because the Telluride crowd – largely older and affluent – sometimes rejects more adventurous work. (When “Uncut Gems” premiered at Telluride in 2019, there were reportedly countless walkouts.) But “Anora” is a unicorn of sorts, with Baker staying true to his oeuvre of highlighting sex work with respect and verisimilitude while simultaneously harkening back to screwball comedies of the ‘30s and ‘40s. (When Cannes jury president Greta Gerwig discussed awarding “Anora” with the Palme d’Or, she said, “There was something that reminded us of a classic, there were structures of Lubitsch and Howard Hawks. It did something truthful and unexpected.”) That it was so widely acclaimed during the festival, with several attendees touting it as a favorite, likely bodes well for its future awards chances. The film is expected to compete for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress for Madison – and could expand beyond those (particularly Best Editing and Best Cinematography) if it remains so widely embraced. (Baker, who has never been nominated for an Oscar despite some beloved work like “The Florida Project” and “Red Rocket,” could receive four nominations alone: Best Picture as a producer, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.)

Toward the end of Sunday’s Q&A, Lowry asked Baker if there was a moment when he realized “Anora” was going to work. Baker hesitated and then said it happened awfully quickly.

“It was within the first week that I felt good about the movie, which is kind of a rarity,” he said of what has been hailed as his best film yet. “I remember going over to Mikey’s apartment to talk about things, and just saying to her, ‘You know, I think we’re making a special movie here,’ and her agreeing. It was just seeing everybody bring everything to the table and their heart. Everybody was on the same page, everybody had the same sensibility. And I’m not talking just about the actors, but also the incredible crew. It just felt right in that first week, like it was coming together.”

Neon will release “Anora” in theaters on October 18.

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