**Sean Baker’s *Anora* Concludes with a Quiet, Emotional Impact**
Sean Baker’s celebrated, five-time Academy Award-winning film *Anora* presents a rapid narrative akin to *Pretty Woman*, infused with the relentless spirit of *Uncut Gems*—leading to its remarkably subdued conclusion.
The story centers around Ani (Mikey Madison), a stripper who impulsively ties the knot with a wealthy patron, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the offspring of a Russian oligarch. This initiates a tumultuous adventure through New York City and Las Vegas, as Ani finds herself being hunted by Vanya’s relatives and their enforcers, ultimately culminating in an annulment. The closing sequences of the film, however, take a poignant departure from the frantic pace of the plot.
### *Anora*’s Quiet Conclusion Invites Interpretation
As Ani makes her way home in a beaten-up vehicle piloted by Igor (Yura Borisov), one of the oligarch’s enforcers, he presents her with the wedding ring she had to surrender. In an exposed moment of emotion, Ani climbs onto Igor, initiating intimacy but resisting his kiss. Instead, she succumbs to tears. No dialogue is shared, and the film concludes in silence.
Director Sean Baker intentionally crafted an ending that invites multiple interpretations. In a conversation with *Mashable*, he expressed his hesitance to impose his own viewpoint on the scene.
“I’m concerned about sharing my thoughts on it in any manner, since that detracts from…what my intentions for the ending were,” Baker remarked.
He and Madison concurred that dissecting Ani’s mentality publicly would diminish the character’s essence. The deliberate absence of music, dialogue, or an epilogue was meant to empower the audience to formulate their own interpretations.
Baker disclosed that he had envisioned the film’s conclusion early on in the writing stage. Initially, the final scene had included small exchanges, but during rehearsals, he and the cast opted to strip it away.
“It simply detracted from the moment,” Baker stated. “Mikey and I recognized this as one of the first instances where Ani is authentically communicating with someone and being acknowledged. We believed it would have a greater impact if that connection was non-verbal.”
### Diverse Reactions from Sex Workers Regarding *Anora*’s Conclusion
Given Baker’s consultations with sex workers throughout the script’s development, *Mashable* contacted individuals with firsthand experience to gauge their thoughts on the film’s realism.
Kaytlin Bailey, host of *The Oldest Profession Podcast* and founder of Old Pros, found the conclusion profoundly touching.
“I thought it was stunning,” Bailey remarked. “I appreciate that he permits the viewer to fill in that gap.”
She observed that Ani spends the entire film vocalizing, arguing, and standing up for herself, yet in the final scene, words become superfluous. Bailey perceived Igor’s stillness as his method of creating space for Ani during a moment of deep vulnerability.
“For him to remain still and let her approach him in this profoundly, profoundly vulnerable moment of exhausted desire—it’s like an extension of the space he clearly wanted to maintain for her throughout the film,” Bailey articulated.
However, not everyone shared this viewpoint. Writer and stripper Reese Piper offered a contrasting perspective, finding it challenging to believe Ani’s swift emotional attachment to Vanya due to the lack of backstory.
“She performs under her actual name, and at no point do we see the facade she adopts to earn a living,” Piper explained to *Mashable*. “Some dancers present as themselves, or a variation of themselves, but it’s always our role to mimic or discover attractive traits in clients that we might not actually feel without compensation. Ani visits his home for a paid encounter, but when does she stop performing?”
Piper also expressed uncertainty regarding the intended significance of the final scene.
“Was Ani, in an attempt to escape her pain, reaching for her sexualized self (perhaps her façade) and then breaking down when Igor persisted in seeking intimacy?” she pondered.
For Piper, the conclusion felt lacking in profundity because Ani’s professional identity was never examined in depth.
### An Open-Ended Conclusion
In the end, *Anora*’s conclusion is profoundly introspective, leaving audiences to decipher Ani’s feelings and motivations. While some spectators found the silence compelling, others believed it lacked the essential context for full effectiveness.
As Baker stated, “Ultimately, it is up to each audience member to take away from it what they will.”
**How to watch:** *Anora* is available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.
*UPDATE: Mar. 3, 2025, 9:11 a.m. EST — Originally published on November 11, 2024, this article has been updated to reflect *Anora*’s Oscar achievements and its existing status.