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‘Anora’ Nails the Banality and Trauma of Sex Work
The Oscar-nominated movie’s take on sex work
Anora (2024) is a movie about an escort and sometimes sex worker, Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Mikey Madison), “lucking” into a wealthy client, Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), who promises to take her away from the day-to-day hustle. Ani quickly finds herself at the center of this rich fuck boy’s family drama, forcing her to fight for the dream of being able to put sex work aside.
Some have called Anora a modern-day Pretty Woman (1990), but I don’t think that parallel is apt. This is not only because the film eschews a fairy tale ending but also because of its emotionally realistic portrayal of this industry. Anora rejects the heart of gold and disposal sex worker tropes so familiar in media for a three-dimensional character struggling with both the insecurity and banality of this industry.
I am writing this review from some experience. Many in the trans community are no strangers to sex work, mainly because society treats us like shit, and so sex work tends to be one of the few options many in my community have. I will not go over the specifics because I don’t think the Internet is owed that information, but yes, I know people in the industry — yes, they talk — and yes, I have some idea how the whole process works.
