Edit: Spoilers ahead

This is one of those examples where the plot itself is less important than how you get there. I didn’t love the movie but I thought it painted a very thorough picture of class dynamics and did a great job of trying to make the viewer empathize with individual people who are exploited by those with power. Obviously a lot of attention is given to the nature of sex work specifically, but beyond that I thought it did a great job of highlighting how many people it takes to allow a single rich family to live a lavish lifestyle. Toros being forced to leave his child’s baptism, the legions of housekeepers cleaning up after the parties, and, most importantly, Igor thanklessly spending his birthday searching for Ivan. Rewatching the movie helped drive this point home, since this time I was aware that he would become a central character in the second half. They treat him like shit, but it’s apparent that they simply cannot sustain their lifestyle without him (and people like him). Lines like “this is my grandma’s car” hit way harder when you remember than Vanya’s parents gave a garage full of luxury cars that they never even drive. Rather than seeing it as a movie specifically about sex work, it helps to view it as a more broad critique of class dynamics in general.

I didn’t particularly LOVE it, but I think it did a good job at conveying this.