Anora: Deconstructing Gender, Class, and Power Through a Cinematic Lens

The portrayal of gender in media is a powerful force in shaping societal understanding and reinforcing or challenging existing ideologies. This analysis delves into Sean Baker's 2024 film, Anora, examining how it constructs, maintains, and potentially subverts gender norms through its narrative and character representations. By exploring the interplay of gender, class, and power within the film's storyline, we can gain insights into how contemporary cinema reflects and refracts broader societal dialogues.

Key Insights

Intersectionality is Central: Anora emphasizes how gender ideology cannot be separated from class and power dynamics, showcasing the protagonist's experiences as shaped by her profession, economic status, and gender.
Subversion of Tropes: While echoing familiar narratives like the "Cinderella story," the film actively complicates and critiques these tropes, presenting a more grounded and often harsh reality that challenges romanticized ideals.
Complex Female Agency: The protagonist, Ani, demonstrates significant agency and resilience, challenging passive victim stereotypes often associated with marginalized women, though the narrative also highlights the constraints imposed by societal structures.

Why Analyze Anora? Justification and Context

Choosing the Film

Anora (2024) was selected for this sociological content analysis due to its profound relevance to the study of how gender ideology is negotiated within media. The film's narrative, centering on a young Brooklyn sex worker named Ani and her tumultuous relationship with the son of a Russian oligarch, inherently engages with complex themes of gender, class disparity, power dynamics, and sexuality. Its critical acclaim, including significant accolades like the 2025 Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Actress for Mikey Madison, underscores its cultural significance and its role in stimulating contemporary discussions about representation, particularly concerning marginalized female characters.

The film offers a rich text for examining how traditional romantic tropes (drawing comparisons to *Pretty Woman*) are re-imagined and subverted to reflect modern anxieties about economic inequality and the persistent influence of patriarchal structures. Its focus on a protagonist navigating societal stigma and striving for dignity makes it a compelling case study for analyzing the construction and challenging of gender stereotypes in contemporary cinema.

Background and Context

Directed by Sean Baker, known for his realistic portrayals of individuals on the fringes of society, Anora blends dark comedy, drama, romance, and social critique. Released in 2024, the film targets an adult audience, dealing with mature themes and explicit content related to sex work and volatile relationships.

Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan in Anora

Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan in a scene from *Anora*.

The film arrived amidst heightened societal discourse surrounding sex work, feminism, economic stratification, and the ethics of representation in media, particularly in the post-#MeToo era. Baker's characteristic neorealist style grounds the sometimes-fantastical premise in a tangible, often gritty reality, prompting discussion about whether the film successfully avoids or inadvertently participates in the male gaze when depicting its protagonist. The clash between Ani's working-class Brooklyn background and the immense wealth and traditionalism of Ivan's oligarch family serves as the central conflict, illuminating the rigid social boundaries maintained by intersecting systems of class and patriarchy.

Methodology: Analyzing Gender Representation

This analysis utilizes a qualitative content analysis approach to investigate the social construction of gender ideology within *Anora*. The methodology involves a close examination of the film's narrative structure, character portrayals (focusing on the protagonist Ani and key male figures like Ivan), dialogue, key scenes, visual representations, and character interactions. The goal is to identify and interpret how these elements represent, reinforce, or challenge prevailing gender stereotypes and ideologies prevalent in broader society.

The analysis considers both:

Manifest Content: Explicit elements such as plot developments, spoken dialogue, and observable character actions.
Latent Content: Implicit ideological messages, symbolic meanings, visual codes (including cinematography and framing), and the underlying assumptions about gender embedded in the narrative.

By systematically examining these components, drawing insights from critical reviews and thematic discussions surrounding the film, this study aims to understand how *Anora* contributes to the ongoing cultural conversation about gender, power, and representation in media. The focus remains on interpreting the film's messages concerning gender roles, the intersectionality of gender with class and profession, and the portrayal of agency versus constraint for its characters.

Findings: Portrayals and Themes

The content analysis of *Anora* reveals distinct patterns in its representation of gender, class, and power, highlighting both the maintenance and challenging of societal norms.

Character Portrayals

Anora "Ani" Mikheeva (Protagonist)

Ani, portrayed by Mikey Madison, is the film's anchor. She is consistently depicted as a complex individual operating within a marginalized position as a stripper and sex worker from Brooklyn. Key aspects of her portrayal include:

Intersectionality: Her experiences are deeply shaped by the intersection of her gender, class background, and profession. She faces societal stigma and is often treated as disposable by those in positions of power.
Agency and Resilience: Despite systemic disadvantages, Ani exhibits considerable agency. She makes active choices, pursues her desires for stability and emotional connection, and fights back against attempts to control or dismiss her. She subverts the passive victim trope.
Vulnerability: Her resilience is juxtaposed with moments of vulnerability, stemming from economic insecurity and the emotional toll of her circumstances and relationships.
Challenging the Male Gaze?: The film attempts to center Ani's perspective, focusing on her experiences rather than solely objectifying her. However, interpretations differ on whether it fully escapes the conventions of the male gaze, particularly in scenes related to her work.

Mikey Madison as Anora in a thoughtful pose

Ani's character embodies a complex mix of resilience and vulnerability.

Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov and Other Male Characters

The male characters often represent structures of power, privilege, and patriarchy:

Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov: The oligarch's son is portrayed as initially charming but also naive, impulsive, immature, and somewhat passive. He embodies immense privilege but lacks direction, using wealth as a means of escape and connection. His actions, while seemingly romantic at first, trigger chaos and reveal his dependence on his family's power.
Ivan's Family and Associates: These figures represent entrenched patriarchal and class-based authority. They act decisively to maintain social boundaries, protect family wealth and reputation, and control Ivan's life, viewing Ani primarily as an unacceptable disruption and a threat. Their actions explicitly maintain traditional gender and class hierarchies.

Key Thematic Findings

Gender, Class, and Power Intertwined: The film constantly underscores how gender identity is inseparable from social class and access to power. Ani's struggles are explicitly linked to her position as a working-class woman in a profession stigmatized by society.
Critique of the "Cinderella Fantasy": *Anora* consciously invokes and then deconstructs the "Pretty Woman" or Cinderella narrative. The impulsive marriage, initially framed as a fairytale escape, quickly descends into a harsh reality check, exposing the transactional nature of relationships across vast class divides and the limitations of romantic ideals in the face of systemic inequality.
Navigating Social Boundaries: The central relationship highlights the immense difficulties and societal pressures involved in forming connections across significant economic and cultural borders. External forces, driven by class prejudice and gendered expectations, heavily impact personal dynamics.
The Stigma of Sex Work: The film portrays the societal refusal to grant dignity or respect to sex workers, reinforcing the marginalization faced by individuals in the profession. It implicitly critiques the moral judgments and dangers associated with this stigma.

Visualizing Anora's Thematic Landscape

The following mindmap illustrates the interconnected themes and character dynamics central to the film's exploration of gender ideology:

mindmap root["Anora (2024)
Sociological Analysis"] id1["Gender Ideology"] id1a["Social Construction"] id1b["Maintenance"] id1b1["Patriarchal Structures (Ivan's Family)"] id1b2["Societal Stigma (Sex Work)"] id1b3["Class Boundaries"] id1c["Challenge"] id1c1["Ani's Agency & Resilience"] id1c2["Centering Female Perspective"] id1c3["Critique of Tropes"] id2["Character Portrayals"] id2a["Ani (Protagonist)"] id2a1["Complex & Contradictory"] id2a2["Working-Class Woman"] id2a3["Sex Worker"] id2a4["Seeks Dignity/Security"] id2b["Ivan (Oligarch's Son)"] id2b1["Privileged & Naive"] id2b2["Impulsive"] id2b3["Represents Wealth Power"] id2c["Supporting Male Characters"] id2c1["Represent Patriarchy"] id2c2["Enforce Class Hierarchy"] id3["Key Themes"] id3a["Intersectionality (Gender, Class, Power)"] id3b["Subversion of Cinderella Trope"] id3c["Male Gaze (Engagement/Defiance)"] id3d["Economic Inequality"] id3e["Social Mobility (or lack thereof)"] id3f["Relationships Across Borders"]

This map highlights how the film weaves together individual character journeys with broader societal forces like class structure, patriarchal control, and the specific stigma attached to sex work, all contributing to its complex commentary on gender.

Analysis: Constructing and Contesting Gender Ideology

Anora actively engages with the social construction of gender by depicting how gendered expectations and roles are learned, performed, and enforced within specific social and economic contexts. The film demonstrates that gender is not an isolated identity marker but is intricately woven with class, profession, and power.

Maintaining Gender Ideologies

The film illustrates several ways in which traditional gender ideologies are maintained:

Patriarchal Control: Ivan's family embodies the enforcement of patriarchal norms. Their swift and ruthless intervention to annul the marriage underscores the preservation of lineage, wealth, and reputation, where Ani, due to her gender and class/profession, is deemed unsuitable and controllable.
Economic Power Dynamics: The initial dynamic between Ani and Ivan reflects traditional gendered power imbalances tied to wealth, where male financial power facilitates access and control in relationships.
Societal Stigma: The persistent dismissal and objectification Ani faces due to her work reinforce societal stigmas surrounding female sexuality and sex work, upholding a moral hierarchy that disadvantages women in such professions.
The "Fairytale" Trap: While critiquing the Cinderella narrative, the film initially uses its structure, potentially reinforcing the ingrained societal idea that marriage to a wealthy man is a primary path to female advancement, before deconstructing it.

Challenging Gender Ideologies

Simultaneously, Anora offers significant challenges to these same ideologies:

Centering Female Subjectivity: By focusing intently on Ani's perspective, experiences, desires, and emotional journey, the film strives to move beyond simple objectification. It presents her not merely in relation to men, but as a protagonist driving her own narrative, however chaotic.
Ani's Agency: Her resilience, assertiveness, and refusal to be easily categorized or dismissed actively counter stereotypes of passive or helpless femininity, especially for women in marginalized positions.
Critique of Male Privilege: Ivan's portrayal, while sympathetic at times, implicitly critiques unchecked male privilege and the immaturity it can foster. His lack of accountability contrasts sharply with Ani's forced pragmatism.
Realism over Romance: The film's ultimate rejection of a simple romantic resolution and its grounding in the harsh realities of class conflict serve as a powerful critique of idealized gender roles often perpetuated by Hollywood romances. It suggests that systemic barriers often override individual desires.
Intersectionality as Explanation: By consistently showing how Ani's gender intersects with her class and profession, the film challenges simplistic understandings of gender, arguing that experiences are shaped by multiple, overlapping social categories.

Character Representations and Ideology

The following table summarizes how key character portrayals connect to the maintenance or challenging of gender ideology:

Character	Portrayal Elements	Relation to Gender Ideology
Anora "Ani" Mikheeva	Sex worker, working-class, resilient, agentic, vulnerable, seeks security/dignity, central perspective	Challenges: Agency subverts victim stereotype, focus on female subjectivity counters male gaze, highlights intersectionality. Maintains: Initial situation reflects female economic vulnerability, target of societal stigma.
Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov	Oligarch's son, wealthy, privileged, naive, impulsive, immature, seeks escape	Maintains: Embodies male privilege, uses wealth in relationships, initial "rescuer" potential. Challenges: Portrayal critiques naive entitlement, shows male vulnerability/passivity.
Ivan's Parents / Associates	Wealthy elite, controlling, traditional, concerned with status/power	Maintains: Explicitly enforce patriarchal control and class boundaries, dismiss Ani based on gender/class/profession, uphold traditional family structures.

Thematic Emphasis Radar

This chart provides a visual representation of the relative emphasis placed on different thematic elements within *Anora*'s narrative, particularly concerning its engagement with gender ideology. The scores are interpretive, reflecting the film's focus areas.

The chart suggests a strong focus on class commentary, female agency, and the subversion of romantic tropes, with a notable attempt to critique patriarchal structures and the male gaze, while the initial setup might touch upon stereotype reinforcement before deconstructing it.

Further Perspectives: Cast Insights

Understanding the creators' and actors' intentions can add another layer to the analysis. This video features interviews with the cast, potentially shedding light on their approach to the characters and themes explored in the film, including the complexities of portraying gender and class dynamics.

Cast members discuss building the unique characters and story of *Anora*.

Hearing directly from Mikey Madison (Anora) and Mark Eydelshteyn (Ivan) about their character interpretations provides valuable context for how the film's gender dynamics were conceived and performed.

Synthesis of Gender Representation

In sum, Sean Baker's Anora serves as a compelling and complex cinematic text for analyzing the social construction, maintenance, and challenging of gender ideology. It moves beyond simplistic portrayals by deeply embedding its exploration of gender within the intersecting frameworks of social class and power dynamics. The film vividly illustrates how societal structures, patriarchal norms, and economic inequalities shape individual lives and relationships, particularly for women in marginalized positions.

While Anora depicts the forces that uphold traditional gender and class hierarchies – primarily through the actions and attitudes surrounding the oligarch's family – its narrative core lies in the resilience and complex agency of its female protagonist. Ani's journey challenges passive victim narratives and offers a nuanced perspective that attempts to defy easy objectification, although debates regarding the male gaze persist, highlighting the difficulty of completely escaping ingrained cinematic and societal viewing habits. The film's ultimate refusal to provide a neat, fairytale ending reinforces its critique of romanticized gender roles and underscores the often-insurmountable nature of systemic barriers. Anora ultimately contributes to the cultural conversation by presenting a raw, often uncomfortable, but deeply human story about navigating a world rigidly structured by gender and class.