Ana (Ana Roykhman), an immigrant from Ukraine, supports herself by cleaning other people’s houses and spends her free time consuming true crime content. Wouldn’t it be something if these two realities came together? That’s the premise behind Guy Bauer’s Ana the Cleaner, a narrative feature best classified as a self-aware dark comedy with topical interest.
You know you’re seeing the work of a smart filmmaker when, in the very first scene, our heroine responds to the knock of a stranger (Lew Tarello) pleading to make a phone call (his car broke down, his kid is getting cold…) and what’s up on her screen is episode 138 of the podcast True Crime and Killer Wine entitled “A Knock at the Door.” Since this isn’t the world’s shortest film, you can also guess that the ominous music and appearance of a knife-wielding stranger don’t mean what you would normally assume they mean—Ana fell asleep listening to that podcast and IT WAS ALL A DREAM.
Ana’s real problem is that she overslept and must rush to an interview with a new potential client. Bauer creates a sense of geographical separation expressing economic disparities similar to that of the title sequence of The Sopranos, in which Tony leaves midtown Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel, drives through the industrial wasteland that is northern New Jersey, passes through working-class and middle-class neighborhoods before arriving at his own McMansion in North Caldwell. Ana’s clients are rich and the neighborhoods they inhabit are far removed from Ana’s more humble existence in one of Chicago’s many ethnic enclaves. Of course her neighborhood is more interesting, but no one is paying someone else to do their housework there, so she goes where the work is.
True crime podcasts (voiced by Katie L. Fettering) are Ana’s regular companion as she does the boring tasks of housecleaning. Of course that predisposes her to suspect anything apparently unusual she finds in the house of a new client, like apparent human remains in the garbage disposal. Or are they just a figment of her imagination? Since the opening scene told us you can never be sure in this film, you’re on your own to figure out what’s real and what isn’t. Her sister Inna’s (Ilana Kohanchi) response to Ana’s declaration that she discovered a murder is “Again?” also tells you that Ana may not be the most reliable interpreter of her own reality. Inna’s husband Ned (Caleb Harbin) takes the middle ground: murders can happen anywhere but they don’t happen all that often, which leaves the question: what is really going on here?
It’s no accident that Ana is from Ukraine: Inna reminds her that they’ve seen real horrors, and there’s no need to imagine more. Ned further points out that ICE could break down their door at any time (Ana is undocumented), so this is also a timely film with topical interest. Chicago may be a sanctuary city but none of the principals have much faith in that designation and have good reasons to avoid attracting official attention.
To enjoy Ana the Cleaner, you need a high tolerance for meta-meta filmmaking and must be willing to go with some of the film’s more improbable conceits (although if you like Agatha Christie novels they won’t bother you). Being a true crime fan will heighten your enjoyment of the satire, while appreciating the dilemmas faced by refugees without official status will help you sympathize with the heroine. This is the kind of film that’s always winking at the audience, but it’s also well-made within those boundaries and has a real feeling of place (it was shot in Chicago and Oak Park). | Sarah Boslaugh
Ana the Cleaner will be screened on Nov. 9 at 5:15 pm at the B&B Theatres Creve Coeur West Olive 10 as part of the 35th annual Saint Louis International Film Festival. Director Bauer will be present for a post-screening Q & A. Information about tickets and the full festival schedule is available from the Festival web site.
