In the early hours of Tuesday, the Oscars were presented in Los Angeles. The film “Anora” by director Sean Baker, which tells the story of a short-lived romance between a Russian-speaking sex worker in Brighton Beach, received a total of five Oscars.
The story revolves around the short marriage of the infantile oligarch’s son, Iwan, to the young stripper Anora. The two meet in a New York club and find a common language immediately. From a private dance, their relationship develops and soon Iwan proposes to Anora. She agrees and everything goes well until Iwan’s parents learn of the unexpected wedding. They then hastily board a business jet and fly to the US to rein in their rebellious offspring.
Two of the three main roles are played by young Russians Jura Borissow and Mark Eidelstein, who has been referred to as “Russian Timothée Chalamet” by the Western press. Smaller roles are played by Darja Jekamassowa and Alexei Serebrjakow. Oscar host Conan O’Brien was praised for his perceived “jibe” at the White House. After the second Oscar, O’Brien commented, “Anora is having a good night. That’s a great news. Already two wins. I’m sure the Americans are happy that someone is finally taking a strong Russian on board.”
Besides the main prize, “Anora” also won in other categories: Baker was awarded as best director, Mikey Madison as best leading actress. The film also received awards in the categories of “Best Original Screenplay” and “Best Editing”.
The director accepted the prize from Quentin Tarantino, who played a significant role in Baker’s success: “Quentin, if you hadn’t cast Mikey in your film ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ there would be no ‘Anora'”, Baker said in his acceptance speech.
Many of the participants, including Borissow, were on stage with him, including Borissow, who was nominated for best supporting actor but lost to Kieran Culkin for his performance in “A Real Pain”.