“Missing half the plot”— Frustration builds among fans as they are left to watch Sean Baker’s Anora without subtitles

Sean Baker's comedy-drama film Anora has been touted as one of the best films of 2024. It has received glowing reviews from critics, and even celebrities like Paul Mescal and Barack Obama have named the Mikey Madison-led film among this year's favorite films.

However, viewers were left surprised with the extensive use of Russian dialogues in the film, which features a predominantly Russian cast. The characters frequently converse in Russian, leaving non-Russian-speaking audience members confused about the scenes and overall plot of the movie.

One viewer pointed out on X that it's difficult to follow the story without Russian to English translated subtitles.

"Don’t have subtitles for Anora so I’m missing half the plot."

Others also felt frustrated while watching the movie as the absence of Russian subtitles affected their viewing experience.

“started watching anora without subtitles thinking it was one of those movies that just don’t have subs for the foreign language and halfway through i realized no sh*t they’re actually needed,” wrote one X user.

“watched over half of anora without subtitles assuming there wasn’t meant to be any bc the site i was using didn’t have any praying i didn’t miss anything insanely important prior to the plane scene bc thats where im watching from with subtitles lmaoo,” wondered one fan.

“I think the only thought I have on Anora right now is that it would’ve been 2 billion times better if I saw it in theaters with friends. Also American films that have a prevalent foreign language in them should be required to have subtitles imbedded into the screen,” commented one fan.

Despite the language barrier, almost everyone who watched the film praised the movie as an excellent watch due to its acting and direction.

“An American movie that has maybe as much Russian and Armenian speech as English somehow managed to perfectly manage accents, language shifts, cursing, etc. No one besides me will give a single sh*t ab this but besides that it’s also a fun train wreck,” said one user.

“Sean Baker’s Anora is a raw, neon-lit exploration of love, identity, and chaos. Bold, messy, and unforgettable—don’t miss it,” wrote one fan.

“I watched anora for a second time and this time with subtitles and yup it was so much better so it really deserves the 10/10,” one user commented.

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What is Anora about?

The comedy-drama film is set in New York City and follows the 23-year-old stripper Anora working at the Headquarters strip club in Brooklyn. After a chance meeting with the 21-year-old Vanya Zakharov, a Russian oligarch's son, she agrees to marry him for his green card. However, her Cinderella story gets a reality check after Vanya's godfather, Toros, and his mother, Galina, force the married couple to get an annulment against their wishes.

Sean Baker directed, wrote, and edited the movie. He also produced the film along with Alex Coco and Samantha Quan. Moreover, Glen Basner, Alison Cohen, Ken Meyer, Clay Pecorin, and Milan Popelka served as the film's executive producers.

The film features a predominantly Russian cast, with the exception of the American actress Mikey Madison, who plays the titular role in the film.

It premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024, and was awarded the prestigious Palme d'Or award. The film was released in the United States on October 18, 2024, and was met with a mostly positive response. Box Office Mojo reported that the film grossed $29.6 million in total box office collections against a budget of $6 million.

Furthermore, the film has been nominated in five categories at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, including 'Best Actress,' 'Best Director,' and 'Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.'

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Cast and characters

An image from the award-winning film (Image via Instagram/@anorafilm)

The film's full cast list is given below:

• Mikey Madison as Anora 'Ani' Mikheeva
• Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan 'Vanya' Zakharov
• Paul Weissman as Nick
• Yura Borisov as Igor
• Emily Weider as Nikki
• Vincent Radwinsky as Jimmy
• Karren Karagulian as Toros
• Vache Tovmasyan as Garnick
• Brittney Rodriguez as Dawn
• Sophia Carnabuci as Jenny
• Aleksei Serebryakov as Nikolai Zakharov
• Masha Zhak as Tatiana's hostess
• Luna Sofía Miranda as Lulu
• Nazar Khamis as Vlad
• Lindsey Normington as Diamond
• Darya Ekamasova as Galina Zakharova
• Anton Biller as Tom
• Irina Finley as Bartender
• Aleksey Serebryakov as Nikolai Zakharov
• Morgan Charlton as Sunny
• Mariana Orozco Arango as Pearl
• Maria Tichinskaya as Dasha
• Ivy Wolk as Crystal
• Vlad Mamai as Aleks
• Ella Rubin as Vera Mikheeva
• Zoë Vnak as Rachel
• Artyom Trubnikov as Michael Sharnov
• Alena Gurevich as Klara
• Charlton Lamar as Court Guard
• Michael Sergio as Judge
• Ross Brodar as Mansion day guard
• Sebastian Conelli as tow truck driver
• Charles Jang as the Vegas hotel manager
• Mickey O'Hagan as the divorce center clerk

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Viewers can stream Anora on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.