My favourite part of Anora (2024) was the final scene by a long shot. In fact, I felt that it majorly elevated the rest of the film, and captured Sean Baker’s talent as a director best, transforming a small moment with little dialogue into something deeply moving. I thought it was incredibly paced and played out.
I know I wasn’t the only one who had tears rolling down my face as the credits rolled, as if I had suddenly released a big breath that I hadn’t realised I had been holding in for the past couple of hours.
I loved the switch to seriousness and raw naturalism after the more farcical middle chunk of the story where the cinema echoed with laughter.
But what did it mean? I’m not entirely sure- and I don’t think there’s one correct answer.
Like all art, it’s more about what chord it struck within you, and I’m a believer that the very best films leave you deeply touched, but you’re not exactly sure why.
In fact, if Anora’s final scene was more blatant and less subtle, it probably wouldn’t have had as much of an emotional impact.
Part of the enjoyment of art is allowing ourselves to initially just feel, and then afterwards we can (if we want to), try to understand what it all meant.
Here some of my personal takeaways and some other possibilities to the meaning behind Anora’s final scene.
*Warning: spoilers ahead*
How much importance does Igor have in this scene?
Before going any further, we have to acknowledge that Igor is a flawed character, who was complicit in Ani’s kidnapping and caused her harm and distress during the general hell of the film’s middle chunk.
What seems to have stuck in some minds about the last scene was the chemistry between Ani and Igor. Some viewers see him romantically as the as the ‘nice guy’ saviour type, and as the only character who really seemed to cared about her.
Others understandably do not forgive Igor for his assistance in Ani’s kidnapping, and they see her sudden anger towards him in the final scene, where she starts to hit him, as a delayed reaction to all of the harm he has caused her.
Personally I think the final scene has very little to do with Igor. Let’s discuss.
Why does Ani come on to Igor?
Is it because she realises that she’s been in love with him the whole time? I think we all know that’s not it.
Yes, Ani is taken off guard by his kindness, (his retrieval of the ring for her, carrying her bags up to her door etc.), especially in contrast to the way she has been treated through the rest of the story.
And yes, there’s a familiarity between Ani and Igor: they appear to come from a very similar upbringing (especially compared to her and Ivan), and there does seem to be a quietly building chemistry, sexual or not, between them.
I think that while Igor is clearly flawed, it would be too general to paint him as inherently bad, and Ani as completely hateful towards him.
My initial reaction to Ani coming on to Igor was that it was simply a spur of the moment, desire driven move from her.
I thought she kind of wanted to have sex in that moment- out of sexual desire but also out of a desire for control.
She probably had a inkling that he was attracted to her, and subconsciously knew that having sex with him and feeling his desire for her would also give her a much-needed power kick at this low point for her.
Other reactions suggest that sex has become Ani’s currency and so, feeling strangely intimidated by his acts of kindness, she initiates sex as a way to turn it into a transaction, the kind of exchange that she is used to and feels control within, as opposed to an interaction that is more emotionally vulnerable.
Some sex workers understandably didn’t align with this view as they felt it portrayed sex workers as hyper sexual people who are broken and resort to sex as an emotional outlet, incapable of sharing real intimacy.
Whether you’re a sex worker or not, many of us have engaged in sex for other reasons than solely desire. Sometimes sex is a way to grieve, sometimes it’s a way to feel power- it’s complex.
What I don’t believe is that Ani felt she owed Igor something and in a very selfless and powerless way, offered herself to him as her only way to say thank you. It’s not that.
If she’s having sex as a way to feel better, then she’s still doing it for herself.
And, this shouldn’t cancel out that she also might have felt genuine desire towards him.
What I’m trying to say is: there can be a grey area. Sex and our reasons for having it are not always as clear cut as they’re often made out to be.
Why does Ani breakdown?
After Ani initiates sex with Igor in the car, climbing on top of him, he holds her face with one hand and, looking her in the eyes, he attempts to pull her towards him and kiss her.
She resists and suddenly switches, starting to hit his chest before crumbling and crying as he holds her, her fiery persona dropped. Is this the most vulnerable we have ever seen her? What triggers this crash?
As I mentioned above, some viewers felt that Ani starts hitting Igor and then crying because she is properly realising what he did to her. Others even think she hits him because she feels violated by his attempts to kiss her.
Again, while Igor’s actions are a trigger, I don’t think Ani’s reaction here has much to do with him specifically.
Maybe Ani does feel violated by his attempts to kiss her, because again, Igor seems to be trying to make the interaction emotional rather than transactional. And maybe Ani is all of sudden realising that she hasn’t experienced intimacy that feels tender, equal and honest, in which she doesn’t feel objectified, for a very long time.
My personal takeaway was that the kiss attempt was a violation in another sense.
Maybe Igor thinks he’s offering something tender, something meaningful, but that’s not what she wants here. Can she just have control for once? Does this have to turn into another encounter that is shaped by a man?
Speaking of what Ani wants, the emotion here could also stem from confusion in regards to her own desires. Maybe this interaction makes her question how blurred the lines are between her performing and her more genuine desire. Yes, this is a common sex worker problem, but it’s also a common women problem after so much learned behaviour.
These perspectives are all ‘maybes’ because we are making assumptions about Ani’s experiences as a sex worker. Who are we to suggest that all of her encounters with clients have felt inauthentic and removed? Who are we to suggest that she doesn’t know her own sexual compass?
What felt more concrete -and ultimately more important- than these individual interpretations is the bigger picture, one that goes beyond Anora itself: the struggle of women, the trauma they endure, the impossible negotiations of power and control, particularly when sex is involved.
Igor, as both Ani’s captor and her comfort, represents something larger. Her kissing him, then hitting him, then breaking down – these aren’t just actions within the film’s narrative. They speak to a much broader, more universal frustration for women.
When Ani lashes out at Igor, who is she really angry at? Him? Herself? The world? It feels like she’s hitting at something far beyond the man in front of her.
And then, after all of the anger, there’s release. Maybe Ani is finally beginning to process not just the immediate horror of all we have witnessed, but something bigger: the years of her life before this moment.
This is what makes the final scene so profound. It’s not about one clear meaning. It’s about everything – grief, power, vulnerability, control, and the way all of those things get tangled up inside a person. It’s a moment that lingers, not because it hands us easy answers, but because it doesn’t. And that, perhaps, is why it hits so hard.
Read: 5 short films about sex work.
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Iso
Iso is a writer and filmmaker based in East London. She is passionate about all things erotic and leads a sexy, shame-free life in hope that she can inspire others to do the same. Originally from a Northern seaside town, she is naturally drawn to the best things in life: candyfloss, trashy karaoke bars and heart-shaped sunglasses.
