'Anora' might be the movie of the year. Sean Baker hopes it changes some things

Sean Baker's “Anora” is by wide consensus one of the year’s best films and a best picture contender at the Oscars. It’s also the culmination of Baker's quest to chip away at the stigma of sex work. Baker has arrived at this moment despite charting what, nowadays, is an unconventional path for a filmmaker. He has no interest in television or franchise movies. He makes scrappy indie movies built from real-life experience and research that balance both screwball comedy and social realism. In a Hollywood that churns out big-budget fantasies, Baker has ascended by crafting what you might call anti-fairy tales. His movies suggest there’s something bankrupt in what we collectively value.