Anora

Winner of five Oscars, including best picture, best screenplay and best director for Sean Baker (The Florida Project), this is a breathless and very grown-up twist on Cinderella. Ani (Mikey Madison) is a fiery and quick-witted Brooklyn sex worker who is introduced to high-rolling new client Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn). The 18-year-old son of a Russian oligarch, Ivan is brash and bratty, but hits it off with Ani when he pays her to be his girlfriend. After weeks of hedonistic pursuit, the couple elope to Las Vegas. When they return, though, Ivan's parents dispatch his hapless minders to have the marriage annulled, and Ani must fight to keep her new-found life of luxury. As director, Baker brilliantly navigates a fascinating world of high-heels, fishnet stockings and tacky Take That remixes, while his electric script effortlessly shifts between drama and screwball comedy. At the centre of it all, the Oscar-winning Madison is magnetic as the firecracker with sad eyes, anchoring a complex character study that boasts a sparkling comedic surface.