‘Anora’ Director Sean Baker Reveals His Favorite Scene to Edit: “An Homage to Romantic Comedies”

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Sean Baker‘s work on his Oscar-nominated movie “Anora” is exceptional for several reasons. At the 2025 Oscars, the filmmaker was among a select group of directors who were nominated across four categories in one year: directing, best picture, original screenplay, and editing.

Through Baker’s editing prowess, the movie Anora, starring Mikey Madison, shines in its storytelling capabilities. The film transitions smoothly from chaotic, energetic scenes illuminated by romantic undertones, to suspenseful sequences as Ani, portrayed by Madison, strives to free herself from a precarious situation.

Thanks to Baker’s expert editing, the movie Anora, with Mikey Madison in the lead role, excels at storytelling. The film seamlessly moves between scenes brimming with frenetic energy, imbued with romantic tones, and tense sequences that mirror a thriller, as Madison’s character Ani struggles to break free from a dangerous predicament.

In the same movie, Baker points out that one particular scene stood out more to him, as it seemed to leave a lasting impression. Speaking to THR during the Oscar nominations, he mentioned his enjoyment of the marital-bliss montage, where the film’s couple is depicted enjoying a wild Las Vegas adventure before confronting harsh realities. The montage begins with Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn’s Ivan, her onscreen lover, waking up in bed after Ivan proposes unexpectedly.

Baker mentions that music is seldom utilized by him, but he had ample opportunity to do so in this project. He described it as a tribute to romantic comedies, specifically referencing one of the movie’s standout moments – a remix of ‘Greatest Day’ by Calum Scott and Robin Schulz, which was originally performed by Take That.

In the movie, the main female character sits up from her pillow when the tune starts, flashing an empty ring finger to Ivan and saying, “Three carats.” This initiates a turbulent yet somewhat romantic series of events where the duo elopes in a chapel and sprints through Vegas, experiencing marital joy – at least for now. However, as lovers of Anora are aware, their happiness doesn’t endure for long. Baker employs brief instances and swift transitions to create an impression that viewers are tagging along on Ani and Ivan’s chaotic nighttime escapade.

In the editing category, the filmmaker is going head-to-head with Emilia Pérez (Juliette Welfling), Nick Emerson (Conclave), Myron Kerstein (Wicked) and Dávid Jancsó (The Brutalist). Notably, Baker has edited all eight of his own movies.

He emphasizes that editing is equally crucial to both writing and directing, stating it completes about one-third of the entire creative process. He chuckles and adds, ‘I don’t want to seem overly meticulous, but that’s just how I work.’

Steven Zeitchik contributed to this report.

Initially published in a special issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine in February, you can read it by subscribing here.

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2025-02-13 22:56