If You Loved Anora, Here's What You Should Watch Next
8 Hand-picked films that echo Anora's themes of lust, loneliness & longing for your binge list
The Oscars season is over. But the Oscar- fever is still lingering. For those that haven't caught up with the nominated work and winning list are catching up, debating whether Oscar wins were worthy. Others are raving about the five wins for the independent film, Anora. Gen Z's Pretty Woman moment but with a lot of Tik-Tok-esque thrill.
The comedy-drama depicts the story of a sex worker, Anora, portrayed by Mikey Madison, who falls in love with the heir of a Russian oligarch. Um... quite the fairytale, right? But things soon take turns that make for the exhilarating plot. The hastily married couple fight against the capitalistic, corrupt world. Like the female lead, the movie shatters fantasy and brings us back to the gritty reality.
So, if you sat in silence post the credit roll, perhaps teary-eyed, and wondering what other movies like Anora you could watch to get captivated by the raw portrayal of survival and class of social class, we have a list for you.
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We have hand-picked the list that captures the characters navigating life that they weren't built for, had no agencies, but found it in the end in most unexpected places and unexpected ways:
Pyaasa (1957)
A cult-classic directed by Guru Dutt, starring Waheeda Rahman, legendary Guru Dutt himself in the lead, Mala Sinha, Mehboob, and Johnny Walker. It is a story of a struggling poet, Vijay (Guru Dutt), who is rejected by publishers, grapples with poverty, loneliness, heartbreak until he unexpectedly meets a sex worker, Gulaboo, who falls in love with his poems and then him.
Pyaasa is one of those movies that will compel you to feel angry, melancholic, and hopeful despite the bleakness of the tragedy.
Where To Watch It: YouTube (Free) and Amazon Prime Video
Milk Money (1994)
Milk Money is a romantic comedy starring Ed Harris as Tom Wheeler and Melanie Griffith as V, a friendly prostitute, who is befriended by twelve-year old Frank Wheeler (widowed Tom's son) determined to understand the biggest mystery of life- women. V's kind-hearted nature makes Frank set his father up for a date with her but introduces her as his schoolteacher...until her pimp finds where she is.
Where To Watch It: Amazon Prime Videos
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La Vie En Rose (2007)
Based on the true story of the French singer, Edith Piaf, the biographical film narrates the story of Piaf, who was raised by her grandmother in a brothel. The discovery of her singing talent at age 19, and the harsh realities faced by Piaf despite her success sheds light on the brutal business of prostitution and its aftereffects.
Where To Watch: Apple TV; Amazon Prime Video
Umrao Jaan (1981) and (2006)
Amiran is abducted by a man seeking vengeance against her father and sold at a brothel for mere bucks. The child renamed as Umrao Jaan grows up at the brothel and becomes a renowned poet and courtesan.
The film based on an Urdu novel starred Rekha in the lead as Umrao in the 1981 adaptation and later Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the 2006 remake alongside Abhishek Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, and Sunil Shetty.
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Videos; YouTube (Free); Archive. org
Tikli & Laxmi Bomb (2017)
An independent movie directed by Aditya Kripalani revolves around the tale of two street callers who decide to kick men out of the system and form a cooperative to run the business- a by the women, of the women business.
Where To Watch: Netflix India
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Tangerine (2015)
Another Sean Baker film, a jaded sex worker goes through the Tinseltown's underbelly looking for a pimp who broke her heart. What unravels in worth the watch.
Where To Watch It: JustWatch, Apple TV
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)
Starring the lovely Emma Thompson as Nancy Stokes, the modern-day tale of a retired schoolteacher yearning adventure and some sex. Stokes, who has never had an orgasm only faked it, has a plan that involves hiring a young, good-looking sex worker named Leo Grande played by Daryl McCormack. The movie discusses sexual awakening and attitudes around sex using comedy.
Where To Watch It: Disney Hotstar; Amazon Prime Video
The Girl Next Door (2004)
The romantic comedy starring Emile Hirsch, Paul Dano, Elisha Cuthbert, and Olivia Wilde follows a story of an American high-school senior who fall in love for the first time but wait for the drum rolls... with an adult film actress. The 18-year-old geeky protagonist (played by Emile Hirsch) who has no social life prior to meeting her, has his world turn upside down...until the whole school finds out.
Where To Watch It: Apple TV, Amazon Pride Videos, YouTube Premium, Netflix