5 Movies to Watch Next After Oscar-Winning Anora

For some, it might not have been the best outcome of the Oscars ceremony that took place just a couple of days ago, but it was quite expected from Sean Baker’s Anora to win big after sweeping most of the other prestigious awards.

The hit drama starring Mikey Madison took home the main prizes in the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing categories, becoming the 4th movie in history to win Best Picture after getting Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Despite some harsh criticism it received right after sweeping the Oscars, Anora is still an entertaining watch that might have inspired some to look for similar movies to add to their watchlist.

Like Crazy (2011)

A romantic drama much more profound than Anora, Like Crazy follows Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin’s British exchange student Anna and American student Jacob whose relationships have to undergo some challenges when it’s revealed that Anna overstayed her US visa and is about to get deported back home.

Directed by Drake Doremus, the movie explores its characters’ inner feelings telling them both that there’s no way they’ll be together at some point.

Quite the same can be seen in Anora where, despite Ani’s attempts to keep her fairytale life from falling apart, the outer world’s circumstances just don’t let her be with the one she chose.

The Worst Person in the World (2021)

The Academy certainly loves painfully realistic dramas, and another Oscar nominee directed by Joachim Trier confirms so.

Starring Renate Reinsve in the leading role, a 2021 romcom The Worst Person in the World follows Julie, a medical student in Oslo trying to figure out what it is that she wants to do with her life. Just like Ani, Julie seeks to find some sense in her life path that intertwines her fate with people with whom she will later on have complex and also challenging relationships.

The Worst Person in the World received 2 nods at the 2022 ceremony, but ultimately didn’t win any.

Uncut Gems (2019)

If you got caught by Anora’s attractively realistic vibe of New York City, the Adam Sandler-led criminal drama might be your unexpected, but surely deserving next watch.

The movie stars Sandler in his most profound and raw role yet, following the actor’s comically unlucky character as he tries to navigate through life full of giant debts when a unique opportunity comes along.

Despite their major differences, there’s still something that unites Anora and Uncut Gems, with that being a refreshing perspective of the city streets adopting a completely different look once both movies’ characters pace through them trying to resolve their issues.

Hustlers (2019)

Starring Jennifer Lopez in one of her best roles, Hustlers is based on the viral New York Magazine article recounting the story of former strip club employees united in their mission to bring their Wall Street clients down.

Similarly to Sean Baker’s Anora, Lorene Scafaria’s comedy drama also delves into the matter of sexuality being the way to make through life, though it adapts a much more personal take in Anora, while Hustlers mostly remains a light-hearted watch about female power taking its revenge.

Pretty Woman (1990)

Sean Baker’s Oscar-winning movie has long been considered a modernised version of Garry Marshall’s hit romcom starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, but with no happy ending whatsoever.

However, there’s not so much in common that these two have: apart from the final outcome resulting in Vivian’s happily ever after and Anora’s big tragedy, Sean Baker’s movie focuses more on its lead character’s life before Vanya appears in it while Marshall’s romcom is mostly about its protagonists’ love story.

Still, both Anora and Pretty Woman delve into similar matters, talking about the same themes and depicting a chronicle of complex relationships.