Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2024: Karren Karagulian & Mark Eydelshteyn in Anora

Mark Eydelshteyn and Karren Karagulian did not receive Oscar nominations for portraying Ivan and Toros respectively in Anora.

I will say going into Anora I thought it was probably going to be the Mikey Madison show as the titular character, though she really goes by Ani, however I was pleasantly surprised to be quite wrong with the time granted to the wild supporting cast of Russian and Armenian actors that fill the world of Ani’s wealthy “fun boy” client Ivan played by Mark Eydelshteyn. Eydelsteyn I’d say is probably the most divisive element of the entire film as I’ve seen much praise and much distaste for his performance. And I would say both are fair. I find that Eydelshteyn effectively performs a character who is most unlikable, as the Russian oligarch’s son with too much money who takes a fancy for Ani because of her Russian skills initially then her doing things for him like "having sex for money" - Abraham Simpson. Eydelshteyn’s performance is one basically just without filter, nuance or real substance of any kind. There is nothing going on in his head in a given scene; he's always very much on the surface of each moment in just presenting the immediacy of just what Ivan wants. Which might sound like a criticism but is befitting a spoiled child who is just going wild with money he didn’t earn and doesn’t really quite know what to do with. And in terms of the importance and point of the role Eydelshteyn’s performance absolutely serves the nature of the role by being so thin, directing all energy into simplistic pleasures and being just an obnoxious degenerate. Although I don’t think most would disagree with my overall description of his portrayal of that purpose I guess the disagreement would be maybe did he have to be that annoying? Or is he ever funny? Well I’d argue he is amusing while being obnoxious while also being obnoxious fitting for someone who is just constantly annoyingly himself all the time. Well I found him largely obnoxious but amusing moments within that obnoxiousness such his stupid roll after he takes off his clothes to have sex with Ani, and really just the completely vapid nature of everything in his performance throughout his whirlwind romance with Ani. He is nothing, and that’s the whole point of when he is eventually found in the second half where he says very little going from drunk to hungover. Eydelshteyn successfully I would is completely vapid in a different way, as the brat who knows he’s in trouble in just how downturned look of subservience and even his delivery to Ani when she asks him to be a man, which he delivers in as empty of a fashion as possible. Eydelshteyn I find delivers a good performance as quite the worthless piece of trash. 

Now the people dealing with the messes created by Ivan are the handler, the primary one being Toros, Karren Karagulian and his secondary “henchmen” Garnik played by Vache Tovmasyan. They along with the Oscar nominated Yura Borisov as Igor, the “muscle” are essentially the three stooges of the piece trying to piece together the elopement of Ivan and put a stop to it before Ivan’s parents show up. Karagulian very briefly appears in a New Year’s party scene, where Karagulian is introduced by barking out an order to overly rowdy party guests. When the stooges reappear it is after that elopement and that is where the comedy ensues. Starting with Toros getting the call about it where each of Karagulian's initial reactions are comic gold as it is mixed with confusion and more than a bit of annoyance at the prospect of such stupidity. Where we see him preparing for a baptism quietly trying to hold in his collective annoyance. Karagulian’s initial bits are terrific though in just so much frustration he manages to show just beneath the attempted maintenance of a general proper demeanor for his role in the baptism. I have especially adoration for the moment where Garnik and Igor successfully find the wedding license to prove that Ivan has indeed made his very stupid decision. The moment where Toros receives the text is pure perfection with Karagulian’s “No” that you hear the pain while he’s really trying to hold it in, probably being the funniest moment of the film for me. Anyway Toros joins Garnik where Ivan takes off and they don’t exactly get along with Ani Then when Toros arrives Karagulian brings such properly comedic anger to every line as his words aren’t that of just a man dealing with one obnoxious situation but one miserable situation after another when dealing with this teenager. As when Toros calls Ivan a child, Karagulian’s delivery is funny but also speaks to someone who truly has just had it with the obnoxiousness of dealing with him. Combining that with the self-pity moments where reacting that this will screw up his relationship with Ivan’s father, Karagulian is sorrowful in also an incredibly amusing degree of intensity. Karagulian finds many laughs throughout the scene and I will mention the way he grabs the scarf to gag Ani at one point when she starts screaming, where even the way he runs with the scarf is kind of hilarious in extra heightened effort in the whole act. Toros all things considered relatively keeps his head together while verbally slamming Ani in all different ways, which she defends herself with, though importantly there’s the moment where he does offer the deal as a green card marriage therefore a 10000 dollar “reward” for her troubles. Karagulian throws out this line on the end of frustration with not exactly empathy towards Ani but rather more of a car salesman willing to make an agreeable deal. They then proceed to kind of work together as they seek out Ivan, and Karagulian manages to be consistently amusing in his less than artful way of asking around for Ivan. Karagulian thought to be quite coarse in his way and just built that frustration over and over again. Particularly in the scene where his car is being towed, and Karagulian’s freakout is especially funny particularly the conviction he brings to every moment of just choosing to back his car right off the tow truck without a hint of shame or hesitation and with the right glint of a growing insanity in the man’s mind. Karagulian’s performance really isn’t about any nuanced arc or transformation, we leave that mostly to Borisov. Though I will give Karagulian credit in that while we don’t see this real growth of genuine empathy, there’s almost a bit of just a little, maybe respect is the wrong word, but something in him has changed a little in his perspective towards Ani towards the end as his delivery is a little softer to her, and even the way he looks at her certainly is no longer with the disdain we opened with.  When he confirms her money, and says she can use the house one more night, Karagulian isn't filled with any hate, or even the salesman, and at the very least doesn't have any anger towards her. Although he doesn't go as far as Borisov, Karagulian convincingly shows that Toros's hate was always much more towards Ivan than anything else, and believably shows just a bit of change from this peculiar long day and night. Mostly though the strength of the performance is just the comedic energy and timing he brings throughout. Making his impact by being any but the perfect type of fixer "Wolf".  

(Eydelshteyn)

(Karagulian)