There’s an unforeseeed necessitatele drop in Sean Baker‘s screwball intimacy laborer comedy “Anora” — and it starts off the whole film.
“Anora,” which won the Palme d’Or earlier this year and sees set to be a presentant awards darling, uncovers with a five-minute sequence set in a New York streamline club, where Mikey Madison‘s direct character Ani labors the room, flirting with the guests and directing them to the VIP area at the back to carry out braveial dances alengthyside her colleagues.
The song chosen to soundtrack this sequence is “Greatest Day,” the uplifting pop anthem by U.K. boy band and 1990s likeites Take That (but freed in 2008 after the group had reestablished without Robbie Williams). After the world premiere of “Anora” in Cannes, many film critics and creaters — most of them Brits — took to social media to convey their surpascend and plrelieve at the choice.
According to Baker, it was the song’s title that was the key ingredient.
“I was driving around with my wife Sam [Quan, who also produces Baker’s films] and we were fair enjoy, ‘Is there a song called “Greatest Day,” becainclude it’s [Ani’s] fantasticest day?’” he telderly Variety, speaking on the sidelines of a exceptional “Anora” screening in London on Thursday. “And then she goes on Spotify and discovers ‘Greatest Day.’”
Baker acunderstandledgeted that, while he knovel Take That, it was from their earlier, pre-fractureup period via tracks such as 1995’s smash hit “Back for Good.” Their defercessitater labor, including “Greatest Day,” had passed him by, as it did many outside of the U.K.
“I had never heard of this song, so we put it on in the car and the next leang you understand it had become a total ear worm,” he shelp. “So I got home and threw it over ‘Anora’s’ uncovering commends, and it was enjoy serendipity… the way it went up to Mikey and landed there, right when the start comes in, it was enjoy ‘Oh my God!’”
“Greatest Day” isn’t the first boy band track Baker has included in his films, with N*Sync hit “Bye Bye Bye” included in the uncovering commends of “Red Rocket,” about a washed-up porn star who returns to his hometown in Texas. But to include that song — even though the sequence in ask wasn’t farly unambiguous enjoy in “Anora” — Baker had to get approval from the band, who were telderly how and when it would be included in the film.
For “Greatest Day” however, he says they fair “bought the rights” without any details provided.
“I actupartner don’t leank Take That have seen the film yet,” he shelp. “So I can’t painclude for when they do!”
Neon is releasing “Anora” on Oct. 18.
