How ‘Anora,’ ‘The Brutalist’ and More Oscar-Nominated Screenplays Explore the Corrupting Influence of Capitalism

variety.com:

Todd Gilchrist Historically speaking, awards season almost always feels like a war between art and commerce — even if the victor just comes down to whose campaign coffers are fuller than everyone else’s.

But after a year of tremendous cultural volatility, both in the entertainment industry and across the globe, the films nominated for screenplay awards, including “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “September 5,” “The Substance” and “A Complete Unknown,” seem to be drawing battle lines, some more clearly defined than others, between the forces of what’s right, true or honest, and what makes the most money.

By avoiding a “traditional” socioeconomic setting for exploring this theme — say, a Wall Street firm or an ambitious businessperson’s act of entrepreneurship — the writers of these films create stories that are universally, urgently relevant.

Sean Baker’s “Anora,” for example, focuses on the chaotic romance between sex worker Ani (Mikey Madison) and the son of a Russian oligarch (Mark Eydelshteyn), but it’s the transactional mentality of its title character — who’s constantly monetizing her time, attention and emotional commitment — that leaves her vulnerable to far more personal danger than the legal repercussions of the quickie marriage she agrees to.