“Anora”, tale of strippers and oligarchs, awarded at Cannes

AITS CINEMATOR, Sean Baker is captivated by one subject: the lives of sex workers in America. He has made a series of low-budget but highly acclaimed comedy-dramas on the subject, including “Tangerine” (2015), “The Florida Project” (2017) and “Red Rocket” (2021). His latest film, “Anora,” a boisterous farce about a stripper, premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. What makes Mr. Baker’s work unique is that he balances deeply researched, down-to-earth naturalism with humor and humanity. What could be depressing stories about the oppressed or marginalized are instead entertaining.

We then understand why his work could please Greta Gerwig, co-writer and director of “Barbie”, who chaired the jury at Cannes. Announcing the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, on May 25, Ms. Gerwig called “Anora” “true and unexpected” and compared it to the refined comedies of Ernst Lubitsch, the director of “Ninotchka.” , and Howard Hawks (“Raising Baby,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”). In her own films, including “Lady Bird” (2017) and “Little Women” (2019) as well as “Barbie,” Ms. Gerwig has told ironic stories of young women seeking fulfillment and independence, like Mr. Baker, she is interested in how the protagonists’ options are shaped and constrained by forces beyond their control.