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The nature of the bottom
In Russia, the film "Anora" by director Sean Baker, starring Mark Edelstein, Yura Borisov, Alexey Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova, is being released to great acclaim. "Anora" now seems like a completely different film than the one that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last May, says Andrey Plakhov.
The point, however important, is that the film "came into compliance with the laws of the Russian Federation." It will be released in two versions: dubbed and subtitled. There is no Russian swearing either. The poor thing is replaced by a euphemism or a beep. Of course, this reduces the degree of coldness of this spectacle for the eyes of Russian-speaking viewers by 80%. It is never boring in Las Vegas, where sex, rap, humor, hedonism and drugs are often not completely removed from the frame. However, this is not the film that was shown and won awards in Cannes. It is not only about paper money.
This statement should not be taken literally. Of course, the films are essentially the same, but they are perceived differently, as if we were talking about completely different films. Particularly outrageous is the "scissor" perception of "Anora" by Russians and Americans (and the Western audience that has joined the latter).
Baker, a regular at the world's biggest festivals, has made another story about the bitter fate of sex workers who try to maintain their dignity in often humiliating conditions. The main characters of his films are pimps, transgender prostitutes, porn stars and, in this case, a young stripper from Brooklyn who briefly becomes the wife of the son of a Russian oligarch.
Vanya, a handsome young nerd spoiled by the oligarchic life, is played by Mark Eidelstein, and the bold and willful Anora is played by Mikey Madison, an actress of American independent films and TV series. Although she got to play opposite Tarantino, it was her role in Anora that made her an “instant superstar.” She was showered with praise. It is wild, passionate, incredibly sensitive, touching and has a cheerful Brooklyn accent. This was excitedly written about by the serious British magazine Sight & Sound. Baker received equal praise. According to the verdict of the publication, the film is “by turns poignant, funny, confusing and sad, but the most vivid creation of a director who has always been one of the most principled, socially conscious and humane filmmakers on the American indie scene.” I am a film fan.
This is why, in addition to its energy and experience, Anora has attracted the attention of Western critics, audiences and the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. It is humanism and compassion for marginalized minorities. Anora’s Uzbek origins also fit into this context. As the aforementioned magazine noted, she hates “her lousy Uzbek name” and prefers to be called Annie, but the director knows how to make you love even the things you don’t like about the characters.
Anora, who initially fights with mad persistence against the competitors of the sex club, becomes Ivan's legal wife and the owner of a four-carat diamond engagement ring, and then sinks her teeth and nails into this gift of fate. The dogs try to get away from her. Madison strikes a glamorous pose on Anora's American poster, perfectly highlighting her name. No wonder. The film is "a completely different film" compared to the one released in Russia. Here, on the Russian poster, you can see Mikey tenderly hugging Mark Eidelstein, and read the names of Yura Borisov, Alexey Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova. All the Russian acting talent is here.
And how can you not be proud? Thanks to projects like "Anora", the film still leaks online, while films labeled "Made in Russia" are boycotted at all major film festivals. And it still wins. They crushed "Russian culture" with a boycott, but not from Dostoevsky, but from a completely different side - inside the homes of billionaires in Manhattan, through swearing and singing "Tatu".
But now, along with the patriots, the guardians of high art have become agitated. Now Baker's film, in their interpretation, has become a sign of lowering standards and humiliation at the Cannes Film Festival. In fact, each of these groups of viewers watches their own films, so their ratings are completely inconsistent. There is no reason to overestimate the significance of "Anora" in the history of cinema, but there is no reason to call it a "disappearing film" either.
Not only Russians, but also Armenians are happy to see their compatriots in the film. Despite the fact that Karen Karagulyan and Vache Tovmasyan played thugs serving oligarchs, they still put Armenia on the world cinema map. The paradox is that Americans and most Western viewers are not particularly interested in “Russian relics” such as Armenia. In cinema, it is functional and can be replaced by something else. It would be the same, no less exotic, if Anora’s fiancé were the son of an Arab sheikh.
Justifying the jury's decision, Greta Gerwig recalled the comedy by Ernst Lubitsch: But in his famous "Ninochka" with Greta Garbo as a Soviet Bolshevik, the satirical arrows were not just poisonous, but graceful and irresistible, hitting the target. Unlike "Anora", the creators had a very crude idea of the psychology of a Russian hero. Nevertheless, the invited actors showed their best side. In particular, Yura Borisov and Mark Eidelstein played ambiguous characters without idealization, ridiculing stereotypes and, obviously, with a deeper understanding of the nature of the "bottom" than Sean. Baker represents.