Yet another film that presents a narrow and misleading view of prostitution. This time, it’s the widely acclaimed Anora. Read Robert Schenck’s report and review.
Anora, Directed by Sean Baker, 139 min. Swedish premiere: December 6, 2024.
Anora has received enormous attention, both nationally and internationally—feature articles, interviews, overwhelmingly positive reviews, and even the Palme d’Or at Cannes. The film is often described as a story about a “sex worker.” However, by referring to the abuses inherent in prostitution as “sex work,” the film unfortunately creates a strong normalizing effect. It reinforces the false notion of prostitution as just another profession, a narrative frequently pushed by pro-prostitution lobbyists and, regrettably, echoed in much of the Swedish media. Despite Sean Baker’s stated intent to depict the world of the main character, Anora, realistically, the film’s portrayal of strip clubs and prostitution ends up being both misleading and normalizing.
For perhaps the first time, several Swedish culture journalists have noted a film’s romanticized depiction of prostitution. This is a positive development. Critics such as Essy Klingberg (SvD), Caroline Hainer (SVT Kultur, 241205), and Wanda Bendjelloul (DN) have all expressed reservations about Baker’s misleading portrayal of the sex industry. Klingberg writes (241110) that prostitution in the film is “completely free from pimps, trafficking, and sexual violence,” while Bendjelloul states (dn.se 241205):
“However, I watch yet another carefree ‘sex worker’ in Sean Baker’s films with growing unease (a theme he began exploring as early as Starlet in 2012). In his eagerness to avoid moralizing and refusing to portray his characters as victims, he repeatedly fails to depict a crucial aspect—the way their daily lives are shaped by exploitation and violence.
The result is the same kind of romanticization of the sex industry that we saw in Pretty Woman (1990). For a filmmaker otherwise known for his nuanced class portrayals, one would have hoped for more than a cynical observation that all bodies are commodities in a capitalist system.”
Among international critics (and most Swedish ones), however, there is barely any awareness of the real trauma and violence associated with prostitution.
The film, beyond its themes, is also not to my taste. I am not drawn to dark humor or slapstick, nor to stylized iconic shots of New York City, stereotypical Russian gangsters, fight scenes, thriller-like chases, and other conventional elements. Baker’s earlier films, in a positive sense, were simpler, slower, and far less polished (see my review of The Florida Project on the RealStars website). Sean Baker himself acknowledges the challenge of entering a more commercial filmmaking space for the first time. In an interview with SR P1 Kultur Reportage (241204), Baker cites Charlie Chaplin as an inspiration for blending tragedy and comedy—an ambition that far exceeds his actual ability.
That said, Anora is not Pretty Woman or a Cinderella story. This was Baker’s intention, and in that regard, he has succeeded. Anora, who goes by Ani and is played by the talented 25-year-old Mikey Madison, does not find her prince charming. The man (boy?) she spends a week with, in his parents’ luxury home (charging $15,000 for her time) turns out to be a ruthless, spoiled brat who easily discards her. It is the haunting image of the vulnerable, traumatized Ani in the final scene that lingers with me after the film.
Anora has also sparked a political debate in the culture sections of Göteborgs-Posten and Aftonbladet, where Rasmus Landström (aftonbladet.se 241104) accuses Baker of using pro-Putin actors and of having “come out as a supporter of Israel’s war against Palestine” on X.
The film is currently a frontrunner for multiple Academy Awards, possibly even Best Picture. If that happens, even more viewers around the world will be exposed to its narrow depiction of “sex work”.
