5 Sean Baker Movies That Are Better Than Anora
The director had a bunch of other hit movies even before the Mikey Madison-led drama came along.
Having received universal acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2024, Sean Baker’s Anora is currently one of the frontrunners for major wins at the upcoming Oscar ceremony after sweeping a whole collection of other awards.
Also starring Russian actors Mark Eydelshteyn and Yura Borisov, Anora became Baker’s highest-grossing movies to-date and brought him the long-awaited Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
However, his movies have long been a completely new social experiment in the cinema of recent years before Anora eventually came around, and to Baker’s long standing fans they might seem like a better watch than the Oscar-nominated flick.
Prince of Broadway (2008)
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In his third feature movie, Baker brings to the screen yet another heartwarming drama about a New York City ordinary street-smart hustler who finds out he has a son who he shares with his ex-girlfriend.
Despite his life being shaken to its core, Baker’s character decides it’s his duty to take the responsibility for his kid now. Prince of Broadway was a critical darling and currently holds 85% of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Red Rocket (2021)
One of the best black comedies released in the 2020s, Red Rocket follows Simon Rex’s retired L.A. pornstar Mikey "Saber" Davies who, having run out of luck with job offers, decides to go back to his small Texas hometown, also trying to get back to the life he once had there; on the way home, he does have a strike of luck and starts dating a 17-year-old.
Red Rocket remains a gem in Sean Baker’s filmography, though many still felt like the director’s vision of the lead character starting a relationship with a minor wasn’t really condemning, and Mikey didn’t deserve to get a happy ending after all.
Take Out (2004)
Boasting of a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Take Out is Baker’s second feature film and some kind of documentary following a normal day in the life of a Chinese restaurant’s delivery man in Manhattan.
Helming the project as someone who has always been a mouthpiece for the working class, Baker makes a brutal, yet honest and accurate portrayal of hardships that his character faces in day-to-day life. Released more than 20 years ago, Take Out is still considered one of Baker’s finest works that determined his eventual directorial path.
Tangerine (2015)
With a budget of around $100.000, Tangerine was another breakout movie for Baker, finding critical and financial success after garnering around $1 million in the box office.
Shot with three iPhone 5S smartphones, Tangerine also made a revolution in the depiction of sex workers’ life in cinema as it follows Sin-Dee Rella, a transgender sex worker who finds out her boyfriend and pimp is cheating on her.
From Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor’s stunning performances to charming visuals, everything in Tangerine just couldn’t be more perfect.
The Florida Project (2017)
Baker’s most profound movie to-date, The Florida Project will surely be confirmed by many to be the director’s best movie so far, even when it comes to Anora and its way bigger scope of success.
In this drama, Baker explores the life and summertime adventures of a six-year-old girl who lives with her unemployed single mother not far from Walt Disney World, back in the day code-named “The Florida Project” upon its construction.
The movie still holds a score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and was awarded with many prestigious nominations, including for The Critics’ Choice Awards and the Academy Award.