Unpacking Anora (2024): Navigating Genre to Represent Sex Work and the American Dream.

Abstract

This thesis examines how Anora by Sean Baker (2024) uses genre conventions to construct the representation of sex work, the American Dream, and the spatial dynamics where these themes intersect. Through a textual analysis of key scenes, the study explores how formal elements, such as camera movement, lighting, sound, and editing, produce meaning at the intersection of gender, labor, and desire. The analysis draws on key concepts from cultural and film studies, including genre theory, Stuart Hall’s theory of representation, Richard Dyer’s work on stereotypes and cultural codes, and feminist film theory on the gaze. Using Dyer’s three-step method: description, contextualization, and interpretation, this thesis investigates how Anora negotiates between genre tropes and social critique, particularly through its hybrid use of romantic comedy, melodrama, gangster film, and social problem film. The thesis argues that Anora both reflects and challenges dominant representations of sex work, using the aesthetic and narrative tools of genre to expose the reality of the American Dream for marginalized people. By focusing on how spaces visualize power and exclusion, the study shows how independent cinema continues to shape, reinforce, or resist cultural imaginaries around sex, class, and female agency.