As a seasoned gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in various virtual worlds and narratives, I must say that Sean Baker’s masterpiece, Anora, has undoubtedly elevated my expectations for cinematic storytelling to new heights. The 28-minute real-time home invasion scene is a testament to Baker’s audacious vision and unparalleled craftsmanship.
[The following story contains spoilers from Anora.]
As a gamer, I’m right smack dab in the middle of the thrilling act of a captivating show, Anora. Director Sean Baker pulls off an impressive feat here, crafting a 28-minute, real-time sequence that feels like a scene straight out of an ’80s action-comedy. In this scene, a pair of rough characters are trying to control Mikey Madison’s gritty yet vulnerable character, an escort. But instead of giving in, she puts up one heck of a fight!
Initially, it begins as a humorous and wide-ranging spectacle, but it swiftly evolves into a deeply unsettling scene – a brutal display of misogyny that exposes the entrenched issues of toxic masculinity, social class bias, and even implicates the viewers. It’s becoming increasingly challenging to avoid discussions about it within film communities.
Baker shared with the audience during the 2024 New York Film Festival premiere on Saturday that he initially had the idea for a dramatic scene based on a real-time home invasion, and from there, the concept evolved into the intricate and dynamic sequence we see,” is one way to paraphrase this sentence in a natural and easy-to-read manner.
The story revolves around Madison, a character portrayed by herself, who is both a dancer at a strip club and an occasional escort. In an unexpected turn of events, she marries one of her clients, a careless, eccentric son belonging to a Russian oligarch. The plot unfolds as the mob-linked associates, Toros (played by Karren Karagulian) and Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan), visit the mansion where Anora is staying, attempting to persuade her to nullify the marriage.
Once they managed to break in, they resorted to all kinds of physical and mental abuse to persuade her. Lamps were smashed, there was biting, choking, and after the 28 minutes elapsed, chaos – both literal and emotional – overflowed from every nook and cranny.
Baker expressed that the objective is to create a sense of instability for the audience, emulating the intense experience this young woman is undergoing. Essentially, he wants the audience to feel as if they’re immersed in her situation throughout the entire performance.
In Cannes, jury head Greta Gerwig remarked that “[the movie] evoked a sense of traditional storytelling akin to Lubitsch or Howard Hawks, but then it surprised us with an authentic and unforeseen twist.
To ensure the accuracy of each scene, the actors practiced extensively, while Madison took on the thrill of performing her own stunts.
Madison shared with the NYFF audience that we practiced this particular scene far more times than we’ve rehearsed anything else combined. However, when it came to training for the fight scenes, Madison opted for a more spontaneous and improvised approach.
She stated that there’s not much preparation involved, rather one should simply approach the situation with a mindset of ‘Alright, I’m about to engage this opponent. Let’s take action and just go for it.’
The scene was supposed to shoot for six days. It took eight.
Instead of Baker, it was common for him to revise his work right before deadline, frequently adopting and dismissing concepts involving intense actions between characters.
The complexity of the process resulted in Karagulian (Toros’s actor) experiencing a psychological response.
He expressed that he was extremely anxious after having to discuss for eleven pages, stating this at the festival. The previous evening, Baker had texted him, ‘Ensure you’re ready for tomorrow.’ Upon arrival, however, Baker said, ‘It will be unlike anything you expect.’
“Lots of panic. Lots of panic on everybody’s face,” Baker said with a smile (now).
The film “Neon” premieres on October 18th, initiating a series of analyses among audiences. Throughout the following months, up until February, both Oscar voters and the film industry are likely to engage in discussions about this movie.
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2024-09-30 19:24