Anora

Movie: Anora

Running Time: 2:19

Nominated for: Best Picture

How I watched: YouTube

When it had me: Neck Biting!

When it lost me: More like it was a slow start

What systems does it challenge: Romance Movies?

A movie in three acts and three genres!

The First act was the romance. I don't know if I'm telling on myself, but this was my least favorite of the genres. A good portion of the first act of this film is just montages of strippers (with a heart of gold) and parties. I get what they were setting up but it really pushed the boundary on how much of that I could watch.

The Second Act was a comedy of errors and this was my favorite genre of the film. Here we got into a little bit of absurdity and a whole lot of Murphy's Law. I like characters that surprise me with their reactions and I like to see how characters respond to everything going wrong. This part of the movie was super fun.

The Third Act is where the drama kicks in. Romance and hijinks aside, there are going to be consequences, some of them at least a little tragic and here we get to stop and reflect on everyone's choices and lifestyles. There's a pretty disturbing transaction in the final act that leaves you on a down note but also really thinking and trying to process what you've been through.

This felt like an unusual piece with its own storytelling style. It doesn't feel like it fits with the other nominees but also, maybe none of them fit together.