Strange to hear so much laughter for a film in the running Cannes Film Festival which then even wins the Palme d'Or, because at the festival comedies are only tolerated and dramatic themes instead of home. But that wasn't the case at the premiere of “Anora” Of Sean Bakerthe author of that Red Rocket which was among the most appreciated films of the 2021 Rome Film Festival, a director who has now awarded himself the most coveted award on the croisette.
And if the protagonist was a former porn star, Mikey Saber, who decides to return to his hometown of Texas City, here instead the story of a prostitute between New York and Las Vegas takes place. Who is Anora (Mikey Madison)? She is a willing sex worker from Brooklyn, who finds herself, from one day to the next, a very young and very rich client, Yvan (the excellent Mark Eidelstein). A slender boy totally drunk on music, coke and alcohol. Nothing would make you think that he is so rich, but when the young escort enters his three-story house with swimming pool and gym he discovers that he really is an ultra-billionaire.
Their story continues for a while only as a sexual-commercial relationship (Yvan offers Ani 15,000 dollars for a week of company), but then the boy falls in love or rather takes a fancy to Anora and marries her in Las Vegas. And here the Russians enter the scene: the girl gradually discovers that the daily life of this teenager is that of the ultra-spoiled son of a Russian oligarch, a boy who systematically practices Saturnalia with alcohol and drugs. But the wedding wasn't supposed to happen, and that's the beginning of the trouble. This fact has in fact affected the interests of Yvan's family based in Moscow, but which has an outpost of operetta criminals headed by an Orthodox priest (Karren Karagulian) and also with Yurij Borisov and Mark Eydelshteyn in the team.
Cannes, all the awards of the 77th edition
This is the complete Palmares of the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival with Greta Gerwig as president of the jury:
– Palme d'Or to Anora by Sean Baker
– Grand Prix to All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia
– Jury Prize to Emilia Perez by Jacques Audiard
– Award for Best Director to Miguel Gomes for Grand Tour
– Special Screenplay Award to The Seed of the Sacred
Fig by Mohammad Rasoulof
– Best Actor Jesse Plemons for Kinds of Kindness by Yorgos
Lanthimos
– Best Actress Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon
and Selena Gomez for the film Emilia Perez by Jacques Audiard
– Best Screenplay to The Substance by Coralie Fargeat
– Camera d'Or in Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tondel
– Palme d'Or for best short film to The Man Who Could
Not Remain Silent by Nebojsa Slijepcevic.