Check Out the Deleted Scenes from Sean Baker's 'Anora'

Over seven minutes of deleted scenes from Sean Baker's critically acclaimed film Anora have been made public thanks to the Criterion Collection. The scenes offer a more profound exploration of the world of the film's protagonist, Ani, and her tumultuous relationships.Let's dive in. Anora's Deleted Scenes - YouTube www.youtube.com Hot off its Best Picture win, Criterion has made an Anora disc with a lot of special features on it, including the deleted scenes, which kind of hammer home a lot of what Baker said during his win for Best Editing, where he said he had to build this movie. The newly revealed footage, which has some NSFW scenes, delves into key moments unpacking characters, but there wasn't anything I thought had to be in the final film. They felt like smart leave-behinds. Among them is a scene set at the strip club where Ani, portrayed by a tour-de-force Mikey Madison, first encounters the charismatic but reckless Ivan. Another significant moment captures a New Year's Eve party, where Ivan's loyalty to Ani is put on display as another gal, who we can assume is a different stripper, comes over to hit on him. There's some foreboding in that, but maybe only because we know what comes later. There's a scene smoking cigars where Ani asks to go to Russia with him. And a few others in Vegas, where they spend loads of money. The most revealing is an extended sequence between Ani and her sister, Vera. This scene offers a deeper understanding of their family dynamic and Vera's palpable skepticism regarding Ani's whirlwind marriage, a sentiment that would have cast a different light on Ani's motivations and choices in the theatrical version.Again, these all hit the cutting room floor because I think they either slowed the flow down or just reiterated things we already felt. I liked the Vera scene the most, but it kind of gives away that things will go south, which, at the time, I think the movie would not want to show us its hand yet. Summing It Up The scenes underscore the depth of the world Baker created and the nuanced performances of his cast, even in moments that were left on the cutting room floor.I like seeing the restraint Baker has in cutting things that look and sound good because he was finding his story. There's a lesson in all that for us about killing your darlings. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Jun 3, 2025 - 22:25

Check Out the Deleted Scenes from Sean Baker's 'Anora'

Over seven minutes of deleted scenes from Sean Baker's critically acclaimed film Anora have been made public thanks to the Criterion Collection.

The scenes offer a more profound exploration of the world of the film's protagonist, Ani, and her tumultuous relationships.

Let's dive in.

Anora's Deleted Scenes

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Hot off its Best Picture win, Criterion has made an Anora disc with a lot of special features on it, including the deleted scenes, which kind of hammer home a lot of what Baker said during his win for Best Editing, where he said he had to build this movie.

The newly revealed footage, which has some NSFW scenes, delves into key moments unpacking characters, but there wasn't anything I thought had to be in the final film. They felt like smart leave-behinds.

Among them is a scene set at the strip club where Ani, portrayed by a tour-de-force Mikey Madison, first encounters the charismatic but reckless Ivan.

Another significant moment captures a New Year's Eve party, where Ivan's loyalty to Ani is put on display as another gal, who we can assume is a different stripper, comes over to hit on him. There's some foreboding in that, but maybe only because we know what comes later.

There's a scene smoking cigars where Ani asks to go to Russia with him. And a few others in Vegas, where they spend loads of money.

The most revealing is an extended sequence between Ani and her sister, Vera. This scene offers a deeper understanding of their family dynamic and Vera's palpable skepticism regarding Ani's whirlwind marriage, a sentiment that would have cast a different light on Ani's motivations and choices in the theatrical version.

Again, these all hit the cutting room floor because I think they either slowed the flow down or just reiterated things we already felt. I liked the Vera scene the most, but it kind of gives away that things will go south, which, at the time, I think the movie would not want to show us its hand yet.

Summing It Up

The scenes underscore the depth of the world Baker created and the nuanced performances of his cast, even in moments that were left on the cutting room floor.

I like seeing the restraint Baker has in cutting things that look and sound good because he was finding his story. There's a lesson in all that for us about killing your darlings.

Let me know what you think in the comments.