'Anora' Oscar Wins: Having Hope in Art (and Life) Again
Anora, the little film that could (though the biggest film seasoned indie filmmaker Sean Baker has done to date) won five Oscars tonight. This is about… four more than I expected it to win, and it seems to have shocked most Oscar viewers and movie lovers. Though Anora was a clear fan favorite, it was the underdog – one of those “yeah it’d be awesome if it won cuz it deserves it, but the Academy will never award a movie like that” sort of a thing.
I, personally, filled out my Oscar ballot ahead of time in preparation for a Brutalist sweep (which I was absolutely dreading, by the way). Instead, we got a surprising but invigorating mini sweep from Anora, which included not one but two thoughtful shout-outs to sex workers in the acceptance speeches.
The most shocking Anora win of the night, however, had to be when 25-year-old Mikey Madison accepted the award for Best Actress. In a category alongside Cynthia Erivo, Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres (and another who shall not be named), the two projected winners appeared to be Moore and Torres. For Demi, it would have been a “we should’ve given you your flowers a long time ago” thing (along with honoring her raw and exhilarating performance in The Substance). For Fernanda, it would’ve been more of a shoo-in: so universally acclaimed for her role in I’m Still Here that it just made the most sense to award it to her.
In any case, I gasped when Mikey’s name was called, cheered when she humbly stood there letting her costars and director hug her excitedly and got chills when she walked up those steps with her little speech paper in hand. She knew it was possible – because when you’re one of five nominees, it’s always possible – but I have to assume she was just as shocked as we were.
As part of her acceptance speech, in her now trademark ultra-gracious and peaceful demeanor, Madison said:
“This is very surreal. I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me, so to be here, standing in this room today is really incredible.
[…]
I just want to recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally. All of the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this incredible experience.”
Madison has navigated the Anora buzz and awards campaign trail with the sort of super-manicured poise and subtle grace that you don’t even see in many middle-aged and older actors (see: Adrien Brody giving one of the most pretentious and rambling nonsensical speeches of the night). In every interview – whether it was across from fellow actor Pamela Anderson or while picking out films from the Criterion Collection Closet – she wields her two superpowers as a young star rapidly on the rise: Calm and Control. Due to these two expertly utilized mechanisms, we don’t know much about Mikey. From the interviews I’ve seen of her, it appears she wishes to keep it that way as much as possible – for as long as possible. Her quiet and mysterious star power let her performance in Anora and the film itself do all the talking – which was maybe her intention all along.
It feels like a cultural shift may be happening. Films are…dare I say… good again? And getting rewarded for being good, at that? In a late-stage capitalist society where billionaires hold office, streamers are King and existing IP trumps original stories 10 times over (quite literally…), an indie film that was actually really fucking good and not star-studded winning so many Oscars including the top prize seems a little… Twilight Zoney?
With a full awareness of how unhinged this might sound, the Anora and Mikey Madison wins tonight give me hope for the future of art, film, indie film, the future of cinema and Hollywood, and for the more obscure filmmakers and writers and actors who never thought they stood a chance – until tonight.
As Anora Producer Samantha Quan said when accepting the Oscar for Best Picture:
“To all the dreamers and young filmmakers out there, tell the stories you want to tell. Tell the stories that move you. I promise you, you’ll never regret it.”
Yes yes yes! I loved Anora and convinced my professor who teaches my film class to have us watch it because it is such a raw, beautiful story that so many women can relate to! I was so happy when it won so many awards!
And btw I love the hyperlinks 😉