Sean Baker loves the hustle. He’s been making films for over two decades, but it wasn’t until 2015 and the release of Tangerine where he started creating major buzz. The praise Baker received for his casting of transgender actresses in the slap-happy comedy shot using iPhones didn’t stoke his ego. But it did allow Baker to continue making movies about people most would see as dregs and outsiders.
I consider Sean Baker an auteur of American neorealism. I’m not even sure that’s an actual filmmaker term. Maybe in this case it’s just neorealism without the country signifier. Hustlers, street walkers, exotic dancers and porn stars – these are his people; or at least the characters with whom every day is a grind. Baker approaches his stories with manic enthusiasm and authenticity. Like a modern John Cassavetes offering raw portrayals on location versus classical acting on closed sets, Baker is a true voice of independent cinema.
While his more recent works have included Willem Dafoe, Simon Rex, and Mikey Madison on the call sheet, Baker’s productions are mostly comprised with non-actors. His best find might have been when he encountered Prince Adu while researching Manhattan’s wholesale district for what would become his third feature, Prince of Broadway. Baker already had a desire to shoot there on account of the district’s chaotic vibrancy. He knew it would have a shop owner (using Karren Karagulian, who had bit parts in Baker’s previous features). Beyond having a shop owner the story was still a mystery. Until he met Prince Adu. A boisterous big man who knows the art of the hustle, he sold Baker on helping cast his film and finding locations, all in an effort to star and tell the West African experience of working and living in the district.
A man of his word, Adu was very instrumental in getting Prince of Broadway made. Produced for around $50,000 with a camera Baker bought from money earned making the television comedy Greg the Bunny, the story revolves around Lucky (Adu), a West African immigrant who works at a bootleg fashion storefront selling cheap knock-offs of Louis Vitton handbags. One day, Lucky’s ex-girlfriend Linda drops by and leaves a toddler with him to look after for a few weeks. Freaked out and unsure of how to juggle hustling and parenting (and not even sure if this is his son), we watch Lucky and his daily struggles. His failures and fried nerves; Lucky sees his job and his relationship with current girlfriend Karina in turmoil because of a one year old. The secondary story involves Lucky’s Armenian Lebanese boss Levon and trying to keep his marriage together.
Prince of Broadway has plenty of rough edges on account of Baker’s cinéma vérité approach offering an undiluted view of the comings and goings of Manhattan’s wholesale district. The look is just part of the picture. Lucky’s story makes it move. His desperation and wanting to lose this baby he names Prince comes as he also grows attached to the little bugger. Fighting new responsibilities and knowing he can’t run away. Even abandoning Prince at a Chinese restaurant ends with a face full of regret. Levon, meanwhile, has his own personal implosion as his younger wife leaves and his attempts to bring her back fail. By the time the film reaches its climax, both men have grown close. Their friendship may have been built on business, but it is also derived from shared life struggles. Now they are just a pair of paupers with a little prince.
Prince of Broadway is the slice-of-life vision Sean Baker would continue to implore in the following years. He considers it his breakthrough and for good reason. It is the perfect movie blueprint at promoting realness and empathy. While Baker’s capabilities behind the camera may have become more accomplished, they have not obstructed his ability in telling moving character pieces.
Which leads us to Anora, the anxiety-inducing comedy that made Sean Baker the toast of Hollywood.
Ani (Mikey Madison), short for Anora, is our main protagonist. She makes her living in a strip club. This young, twenty-something beauty of Brighton Beach bumps and grinds for men in suits wanting a good time. Outside the club, Ani can do more than just dance on laps. When Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), who also goes by Vanya, visits the club, Ani is requested because she speaks Russian. They hook up and later she agrees to visit his multi-storied mansion home for what was going to be a one-off sex act. Vanya is so impressed by Ani’s sexual performance he wants a longer engagement. They agree on financials and Ani is done with the club and is exclusive to Vanya. In between playing video games and various episodes of being stoned and inebriated, Vanya and Ani engage in coitus. Soon after, he makes his move to ask his paid escort if she wants to get married. They are in Las Vegas when the question is popped, and the irony of the moment is not lost. Chapels that never close is a Vegas hallmark, after all.
What should be happily ever after becomes a bad Disney fairytale as Vanya, a prince who is far from charming, splits when two goons come to the mansion to meet the newlyweds. Ivan’s parents are Russian oligarchs, and once they got word their boy married a stripper in Vegas they reached out to Toros (Karren Karagulian), an Armenian Orthodox priest and Vanya’s godfather, to help get the marriage annulled.
But with the groom on the lamb and a bride refusing to cooperate, Toros is in a bad spot. The story devolves into a manic comedy where Ani unwillingly accompanies Toros and the two goons in looking for the brat.
Anora would be unironically the funniest film I saw last year. Not even Deadpool as Marvel Jesus slashing through variants of himself to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” could compete with Ani screaming excitedly and hitting Igor (Yura Burisov), one of the goons, repeatedly. That was some vintage slapstick comedy right there. Then the story really starts moving and we are bouncing from venue to venue before slowing back down, and our Stripperella starlet finds herself unable to cope with feelings newly grasped.
I’ll reiterate, Sean Baker loves to hustle. For Anora, love is the hustle. He once again captures the scourge and fringe lifestyles and makes you empathetic to the characters. There’s always the connotation of classism in Baker’s films but here it carries substantial weight. We have the brash, put-upon Ani who has firm hold of her life but thinks she can ditch G-strings for a diamond ring. Then there’s Ivan, her spoiled man-child hubby with a huge bankroll that leaves her when things get tough. As the story progresses and Ani’s tough front starts to crack as money and power get their way, it becomes a stern reminder that life does not play favorites. So when good things do happen make sure to check for terms and conditions.
Most casual movie watchers likely heard about Anora after it won big at the Oscars. Heavily profane with situations dissolving into shouting matches with F-bombs attached, these same viewers would more than likely cringe and be turned off by the story. Those who stick with it though, may find joy in this beautiful mess of a film that is wild and funny, and leaves you with a punched gut at the end. Anora is a hectic farce with plenty of heart (Mikey Madison as tough cookie Ani) and soul (Yura Burisov as the stoically unassuming Igor).
Making their arrivals to the Criterion Collection (following Baker’s second feature Take Out) both films include plenty of supplemental extras to keep you occupied.
As a nice touch, and in keeping with Lucky’s occupation, the disc cover for Prince of Broadway looks like the movie is on a blue tarp being sold alongside The Dark Knight on a street corner. The actual disc in the case looks like a bootleg, with the title written with a Sharpie on a faux Lexington BD-R disc. The included booklet features an essay from RogerEbert.com associate editor Robert Daniels, plus technical credits and details about the remastering.
Long out of print on physical media, the Criterion release ports over archival interviews and the “Meet the Hustlers” documentary (55 minutes) found on the 2011 DVD, as well as two commentary tracks. Newly produced extras include “Reflections on Prince of Broadway,” with cast and crew interviews shot last year as part of a reunion dinner. This is a great feature. While it does have some overlap with “Hustlers,” it is more of a reflection piece with the actors. It’s especially cool to see young Prince (Aiden Nosei) all grown up. I also didn’t know that the actress who plays his mom, Linda (Kat Sanchez), is his actual mother. We also have a “Restoration Demonstration” (4 minutes) where Sean Baker and co-producer Alex Coro highlight the work that went into color correcting the film and fine tuning pieces of audio and sound effects. Baker also readies viewers watching Broadway with an introduction (10 minutes). Rounding out the disc are the original theatrical trailer and new 2025 trailer.
Anora arrives as a DigiPack housing one 4K UHD and two Blu-ray Discs. Before I get to the discs, I have to highlight the design of illustrated booklet. It looks reminiscent of Oh LàLà or a skin mag with an alluring Mikey Madison. Inside are technical credits, a pair of essays from film critic Dennis Lim and author Kier-La Janisse, and fake advertisements for adult photography and glamour films.
The 4K and first Blu-ray contain the film plus two audio commentaries. The second Blu-ray contains more than a peep show’s worth of supplemental features. We have Sean Baker and Mikey Madison (13 minutes) discussing the Anora character and the film’s titillating opener. Sean Baker flies solo in a short feature (10 minutes) about Anora’s conception and production.
Considering the importance of the Cannes Film Festival in helping create buzz (where the film won the Palme d’Or award), we get a festival press conference (42 minutes) with the cast, Baker, and cinematographer Drew Daniels present. “Anora: Stripped Down” is a long-form program (68 minutes) with raw footage from the set and comments from cast and crew members. While they were stripper rivals as Ani and Diamond, Mikey Madison and Linsdey Normington have a post-Anora screening conversation (36 minutes) moderated by dancer Laura Arbios at the Grove in Los Angeles. Rounding out the disc are a trailer package with three Anora trailers, deleted scenes (8 minutes), and audition footage (15 minutes) for most of the cast that works inside the Headquarters strip club.
For a greater appreciation of Sean Baker’s abilities as a filmmaker, Criterion’s releases for Prince of Broadway and Anora show how he goes from being an indie darling to become a beloved indie darling. The films complement each other quite well, so if you enjoyed Anora and haven’t seen Broadway add it to your watch list.
Prince of Broadway
Grade: B
Anora
Grade: A
