Sean Baker’s “Anora” made history at the 97th Academy Awards when it nearly swept its nominations. Baker took home four statuettes (tying only Walt Disney) while breakout star Mikey Madison pulled an upset over popular industry veterans. There are a myriad of reasons why this film’s success is so monumental, and all of them refuse to neatly fit into the box of a typical Best Picture winner. Everything from its story and content (an unrestrained, near two and a half hour long, tragicomedy) to its background (a run-and-gun indie hailing from a filmmaker whose work has mostly been celebrated in smaller circles prior to this) are far from the popular picks of the “Gladiator” variety or even the smaller-scale, yet still crowd-pleasing likes of “Birdman.” It points to a bright future ahead for the widespread recognition of independent cinema, while calling to mind the few yet unforgettable instances where out-of-the-ordinary films were bestowed with the coveted prize.