As a Lacanian psychotherapist, when a patient comes to see me I initially play the role of sujet supposé savior — the “subject” who is supposed to know more about the patient’s unconscious than they do. From the POV of the patient, at the onset of therapy I have my own subjective experience and understanding of their blindspots. As I gently guide them into the deeper recesses of their minds, I am transmuted by them into an object and ultimately discarded like all objects are. Subjects have their own emotional experiences; objects — like rocks — are not regarded as having their own emotional experiences and are thus disposible.
“Anora’s” protagonist Ani is a subject to the audience, thanks to the humanization of her doing mundane things such as eating out of a Tupperware container. However, unbeknownst to both her and the audience, she is an object to Ivan. A play-thing, a toy, a trifle. Objectified.
Is this different from many transactional real-life relationships or merely a magnification? Is a trophy wife or husband a subject or an object?
“Anora” presents a complex and nuanced portrayal of sex work that challenges many traditional cinematic depictions of relationships such as the one portrayed in “Pretty Woman;” “Anora” avoids the common trope of a sex worker “rescued” by a Prince Charming. Bravo!
Mikey Madison will win many male votes for her performance in Act I wherein she deftly incarnates the adolescent male fantasy of a hyper-sexualized young woman aiming to please.
Ms. Madison will win many females votes for her performance in Act II wherein she ferociously incarnates the current female fantasy of “empowerment” — especially because her fierceness is putatively in the name of love.
But is Ani empowered or has she been duped into believing that sex and violence are symbols of empowerment? Does she have any agency in relation to Ivan’s family or does she realize in the last scene that she has only been an object all along, a pawn in someone else’s game?
On one hand “Anora” humanizes an array of dancing bears who believe that money will un-traumatize them. Financial motivation is a rough beast of spite and compensation. All of us good capitalists submit to and suffer from that delusion.
On the other hand, this dystopia must end tragically. But what a wild ride is “Anora” thanks to Ms. Madison’s performance! Not since “Uncut Gems” was my pathos so expertly misdirected towards the suckers. And “Anora” is also one of the funniest films I have ever seen, replete with much Chaplinesque physical comedy!
I loved and hated Sean Baker’s ending: I cringed when Ani got on top of Igor in the car like the dancing bear she has been trained to be. But when she stops having sex and breaks down, she seems to realize her delusion and is transformed.
And this is why this wildly tragic dystopian ride is a truly brilliant film that holds a mirror up to nature, better than anything a studio exec could ever have imagined.
Although there could never be a “Pretty Woman II,” we could well imagine the overabundant character of Ani as a phoenix rising from yet another set of ashes.