The true story of Cinderella: How the movie “Anora” shatters dreams of ideal love.

“Anora” by Sean Baker. The audience greeted the film with a standing ovation, forcing the jury, chaired by president Greta Gerwig, to tip the scales in its favor and award the Palme d’Or. But the victory caused conflicting assessments from critics: some criticized the film for its political implications about the impossibility of marriage between Russians and Americans, while others thought the film lacked innovation. And there is some truth in this.

Ivan (Mark Eidelstein), the son of a Russian oligarch, is having fun in the United States, where he meets 25-year-old stripper and sex worker Anya (Mikey Madison) in one of the nightclubs. Her grandmother emigrated from the USSR, so the girl speaks a little Russian. He doesn’t like his job, but he’s good at it. Her friendliness is fascinating, and the spoiled major makes sure that she spends all her time with him, enjoying noisy parties, playing consoles, sex and shopping in a luxurious mansion. Eni is a holiday girl with whom it is very easy to get along, and Ivan decides to marry on feelings, accompanying the proposal with a fur coat and a diamond ring.

We’ve seen stories like this many times, remember the classic “Pretty Woman”. The original version of the script had a completely different ending: Richard Gere’s hero abandoned Vivien on the roadside, threw money and walked away, leaving her with a broken heart. Heroine Julia Roberts faced death from overdose. And the movie was supposed to be called “Three Thousand Dollars”: That’s the amount Edward Lewis paid the girl for her time. Apparently, Sean Baker decided to clear up the misunderstanding and film the real Cinderella story that awaits him after the wedding.

How often we fall asleep thinking about an ideal life, but when we wake up, we go to work for a five-day shift! We look at successful people on social networks and in movies with happy endings, falling into the trap of our own illusions that one day we can repeat their path. Mikey Madison’s hero is also prone to self-deception: It’s no coincidence that his dream is to go to Disneyland. The girl is full of hope to meet her prince, even though she has seen a lot in her life. He knows there is no room for her in his heart, but he wants the tale to never end.

When Ivan’s parents fly from Russia to ruin their marriage, Ani decides to fight, even though their relationship is already over. The thing is that she managed to fall in love not so quickly with the guy, but with the image he created for himself a long time ago. He ignores the fact that Ivan immediately ran away from him as soon as the oligarch’s semi-criminal accomplices arrived at the mansion.

And perhaps the most interesting thing is to watch her relationship with the “gopnik” Igor, played by Yura Borisov. Apparently, only she could recognize this vulnerability and childhood dream in him. At first he reacts aggressively to her, and only eventually an honest and sincere dialogue arises between them. Yura Borisov’s hero is a simple man raised by his grandmother, which makes him perhaps just as vulnerable and emotional. But he doesn’t just console Ani, he actually tries to convince her that she is better than she thinks. “You’re lucky you’re not part of this family,” he says. By convincing the girl that her real name, Anora, is more beautiful than Eni, Igor shows that he not only accepts her personality but also finds her attractive.

Very few people share the true recipe for success. In no biopic would a businessman talk about questionable deals or an actress talk about the roles she got in one night with someone. Thanks to social networks, it has become easier to create an ideal image of yourself, so more and more people live in self-deception. Sean Baker’s Anora, like Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls, exposes this illusion. The Russian flavor adds flavor to the story, but it doesn’t affect it: This can happen literally anywhere and to anyone.