After winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Anora has been receiving a great deal of Oscar buzz going into 2025. Written and directed by Sean Baker, Anora stars Mikey Madison as Ani, a New York City sex worker who finds herself in over her head after marrying the wealthy, chronically spoiled son of a Russian oligarch. Anora is much more plot-driven than Baker’s other more meandering, slice-of-life films like Red Rocket and The Florida Project, but what makes Anora one of the most exciting films of the year is the fact that it continually switches genres as the story progresses. What begins as a whirlwind romance evolves into a dark comedy thriller and culminates with an emotional gut punch of an ending. The way Baker is able to alternate between genres while maintaining a cohesive and compelling narrative is what keeps you on the edge of your seat while watching Anora, and part of what makes it one of the best films of 2024.