Cannes entry 'Anora' aims to destigmatize sex work, says director
22/05/2024 12:46
By Miranda Murray
CANNES, France, May 22 (Reuters) - Part of director Sean
Baker's aim in making "Anora," a darkly funny and touching drama
about a young exotic dancer who becomes involved with a Russian
oligarch's son, was to remove the stigma surrounding sex work,
he said on Wednesday.
"It's important to explore what sex work is in the modern
age," Baker told journalists at the Cannes Film Festival, where
the competition film premiered on Tuesday.
"It's a career and job that should be respected. In my
opinion – de criminalized – it's up to them to decide."
Baker said he was introduced to the adult film world while
doing research for 2012's "Starlet."
"There's a million stories to be told in that world," he
said.
"Anora" continues a streak of sex worker-focused films by
Baker, including the 2021 Cannes entry "Red Rocket" and 2017's
"The Florida Project," that he has no plans of stopping.
"We've already been talking about the next one, and it
involves a sex worker. So let's see what happens," he said.
"Anora" stars Mikey Madison as the titular character, who
meets Vanya, the immature son of a Russian oligarch with
seemingly unlimited money, while working at a strip club.
Vanya, played by Mark Eydelshteyn, hires Anora to be his
girlfriend for a week, deciding on a whim to take his private
plane to party in Las Vegas, where they get married. That
decision upsets his disapproving parents so much that they jet
over from Russia to ensure he gets an annulment.
Reviews were positive, with The Guardian newspaper giving
the "stellar" film four out of five stars and The Hollywood
Reporter calling it "a very satisfying watch, deftly commenting
on questions of class, privilege and the wealth divide."
Shooting the sex scenes was a collaborative process that
involved the actors' input, said Madison, who opted not to use
an intimacy coordinator or bring in a stunt double.
"Those scenes were fun to shoot and all of the lap dance
scenes were very fun to shoot as well," Madison said.
Baker said he would support an actor's decision to use an
intimacy coordinator - who helps choreograph TV and movie scenes
involving sex or nudity and ensures actors are not exploited -
but was comfortable directing a sex scene without one.
"Our number one priority is to keep our actors safe,
protected, comfortable, and involved in the process," he said.
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Anora’ Review: Mikey Madison is a Delightfully Scrappy Force in
Sean Baker’s Cracked Cinderella Story https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/anora-review-mikey-madison-sean-baker-1235905037/
Anora review – stellar turn from Mikey Madison in sex work
non-love story https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/may/21/anora-review-stellar-turn-from-mikey-madison-in-sex-work-non-love-story
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(Reporting by Miranda Murray
Editing by Bernadette Baum)
((Miranda.Murray@thomsonreuters.com;))