Anora 2024

The film opens at Headquarters, a vibrant strip club in Brooklyn, where Ani (played by Mikey Madison) stands out as one of the more popular dancers. She shares a close friendship with Lulu (Luna Sofia Miranda), yet finds herself entangled in a rivalry with Diamond (Lindsey Normington). Being proficient in Russian allows Ani to cater to Russian-speaking clients, much to the delight of her unscrupulous boss, Jimmy (Vincent Radwinsky). Despite her working environment, Ani has a roommate and dreams of a more prosperous life.

One fateful evening, Ani is summoned to meet Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn). Although his English is limited and Ani feels self-conscious about her Russian pronunciation, a connection sparks between them. Vanya reveals that he is the son of a wealthy oligarch, Nikolai Zakharov (Aleksei Serebryakov), which immediately intrigues Ani even further. Vanya’s lifestyle mostly consists of indulging in leisure activities like playing video games at his luxurious home.

As their relationship develops, Ani introduces Lulu to Vanya’s opulent gatherings and meets his circle of friends, including Crystal (Ivy Wolk) and Tom (Anton Bitter). Although Ani grows fond of Vanya, she witnesses his condescending behavior toward hotel staff, dismissing it as humor. After a night of intimacy, Vanya proposes a peculiar arrangement: he offers to pay Ani $15,000 to be his girlfriend for a week. Despite her concerns and assuring him that she is not a prostitute, Ani ultimately agrees to this unconventional deal, seeking the opportunity to change her circumstances.