Episode 32 — Anora - 5 Oscars and I'm Still Calling BS | Fork Rating

Anora took home five Oscars — including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress — but after watching it a second time… I still don’t get it.

In this episode, I revisit one of last year’s most talked-about films and break down where it works, where it falls short, and why the Academy’s full endorsement of this film doesn’t sit right with me.

I get into:

    •    What critics loved — from its chaotic energy to Mikey Madison 

    •    Where the film struggles — including uneven storytelling and shallow character development

    •    The fine line between portraying exploitation and participating in it

    •    And whether consultation with sex workers actually translates into authentic perspective on screen

Because when a film wins Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Female Actor in a Lead Role and Best Editing… that’s not just buzz — that’s a statement.

And I’m not sure it’s the right one.

🍴 Movies I Give a Fork About  

Movies don’t get stars — they get forks.

Hosted by AJ Jones, this podcast cuts through hype, marketing, and awards buzz to answer one simple question:

Is this movie actually worth your time?

🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts  

📸 Follow on Instagram: @moviesigiveaforkabout  

🌐 Podcast site: giveaforkmovies.com

New episodes drop when a movie earns a fork.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Movies I Give a Fork About, the podcast where we don't use stars, we use forks. Because not every movie deserves your time, not every movie earns your emotion, but when one truly does, well, that's when you give a fork. I'm AJ, and today's movie is last year's best picture winner, Honora. Okay, I am revisiting some of last year's movies and weighing the fuck in. So I wanted to revisit one of the last year's biggest winners, Anora, with a bit more perspective. So the premise of this film is this film shows Anora or Annie, a sex worker whose life takes a sharp turn when she gets involved with a very wealthy client. Some critics touted this, the pretty woman realistic version, but we'll get there. The thing that I want to talk about today is this was not a quiet win for this film. This film took five fucking Oscars. Best picture, best director, best female actor in a lead role, best original screenplay, and best editing. So last year the Academy didn't just like this movie, they fully fucking backed it. So let's talk about it. So rather than just relying on what I remembered about the movie from last year while I watched all the Oscar-nominated films, obviously I watched it again. And after a second watch, I still don't get it. My biggest issue was not the explicit content. Sex, fine. Nudity, okay. All of that can definitely serve the story. It can reveal vulnerability, it can reveal power, and even uncover emotional truth. But here it felt excessive, it felt indulgent, and more importantly, it felt voyeuristic. Like we, the audience, are watching Annie, but we're not actually understanding her. And that is where this movie crosses the line for me, because there's a significant difference between portraying exploitation and participating in it. And for me, Honora never convincingly separates itself from that line. Now, to be fair, the critics loved this fucking film. And the screenwriterslash director, Sean Baker, uh did consult sex workers while making this film. And his steps even included bringing a sex worker in as a consultant on this film. But this wasn't done in a vacuum. And for me, the collaboration does not feel embedded in the film. It feels like the information or the experience of the sex worker informed the details of the movie, the setting, the texture, but not the perspective. Because for me, there's always a difference between consulting on a story and actually shaping that story. Andora feels like it's being told about a sex worker and not from her lived experience. So again, we circle back to my original argument. This is where everything falls apart for me. Because Honora did not just win Best Picture, it swept major fucking categories. It won Best Picture, it won Best Director, it won Best Writing Screenplay, and Best Editing. And of course, the fifth Oscar went to the lead actor, female actor in a lead role, Mickey Madsen. And I'm gonna say it plainly. Her performance for me in this particular year nominated for actors, female actors in a lead role, she was not at the top. Not even close. For instance, when you compare Madsen's performance to someone like Cynthia Arrivo in Wicked, her performance, Arrivo's performance, required emotional depth, technical precision, live vocal execution, it's really hard to question what the Academy was actually rewarding last year. Because at some point, I think we need to ask: are we rewarding complexity or are we rewarding shock value? Because in the context of the awards last year, the Academy didn't just say, Honora's a good film. They're saying it is the best version of all of the pictures nominated last year. And there were ten, like there always is. And to be honest, for Best Picture Alone, I just fucking fundamentally disagree. This is not a film with depth. Instead, it feels like a film that mistakes provocation for insight. So for my fork rating for Honora, I'm sure you've guessed it, one fork. Fucking skip it. Five Oscars later, and I still don't fucking see it. And that is today's fork. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show. Share it with someone who actually gives a fork about movies. Until next time, watch boldly, judge honestly, and never be afraid to give a fork.