Anna Sorokin’s aka Anna Delvey’s story has taken the Internet by storm. The white-collar criminal, fake German heiress’ schemes have captivated people around the world. But what exactly is it that drew New York’s elite to this average-looking, rude girl with a creepy accent? This is the focal question, which never gets answered, in the Netflix limited series ‘Inventing Anna’, created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, who is best known for creating ‘Gray’s Anatomy’.
Rating: 3/5 – SPOILERS AHEAD
View this post on Instagram
A comment underneath an Instagram post of the irl- Anna Delveys reads ‘your lack of moral compass is intriguing’. Indeed, it is her audacity and the determination she has to build this life for herself which has left many people wondering who she is and how she got here. It is not just the act of scamming, but the way she goes about it that is alluring. It is also unfathomable how she got away with it for this long. To have a $33,000 hotel bill and behave towards the staff the way she did takes guts. Her raging confidence in herself and the fictionalised dream life she has built has enabled her to become this persona.
View this post on Instagram
I watched the show in the two instalments. When I first started, I couldn’t stop watching it and binged through the first five episodes. The story was enticing, the clothing beautiful and it was overall an enjoyable experience. However, this changed rapidly when I started the remaining four episodes.
Anna, whilst always having been an unpleasant character, turned downright unbearable. Her disingenuous and appalling behaviour mixed with her delusional conviction in her ‘business’ make her a rather annoying character to follow. Furthermore, the show trying to paint her as the victim and attempting to get the viewer to emphasise with her is one of its core controversies. By using feminist rhetoric and portraying her as the poster child of immigration, the viewer is pushed to disregard the severity and audacity of her crimes. It bothered me because in real life I would not feel empathy for this person, why should I here?
Whilst the first few episodes provided me with entertainment, suspense and Gossip Girl nostalgia, the last few episodes depict the significance of white privilege, albeit in a tone-deaf and unspoken manner. By the end of the last episode every character was unbearable to watch. Apart from the strange plot, this is inevitably due to the length that this story got dragged out too. After episode seven I was not enjoying the show anymore. Many comments on social media had pointed out, that this story could have been put into a two/three-hour movie, instead of a nine-hour frenzy.
View this post on Instagram
However, whilst the writing and the general direction were often inconsistent and unclear, the acting performances were the saving grace. Julia Garner (Anna) played her role very well, to the point where I was experiencing several rather negative emotions. But this just proves the actress ability to touch people. Another highlight was Laverne Cox, who was cast in the role of Kacy, Anna’s celebrity fitness coach and close acquaintance. Often her character was the only voice of reason and I didn’t feel like switching my TV off. Also, Laverne Cox is always a plus.
Each episode contributed to the timeline through the interactions of Anna with the various characters. Hence, some appeared in the first few episodes but not later on in the series. I particularly liked James Cusati-Moyer in his role as Val, the gay best friend and the character Nora, played by Kate Burton, the wealthy woman who took Val into her care, unwillingly followed by Anna and Chase (Saamer Usmani), Anna’s futurist boyfriend. These two characters, in particular, seemed like they were plucked right out of ‘Gossip Girl’. ‘Inventing Anna’ reminded the most of ‘Gossip Girl’ during the scenes of wealthy NYC socialites having various parties and outings. There were a few characters that deserve their own description.
Notable characters
Neff
For the life of me, I could not understand why or how Neff, played by Alexis Floyd, believed so fiercely in Anna. Whilst she was the only person who got back the money which Anna owed her, surely she must have realised her friend was a fraudster during the verdict hearing at least? Her blind faithfulness and loyalty towards Anna was irritating at best, if not disturbing.
Rachel
The first thing to note is that the real-life Rachel Williams has sold her rights to HBO, which could explain her portrayal in the Netflix version. In a Vanity Fair article from 15 february, the irl- Rachel expresses her disapproval of celebrating a convicted criminal. She goes on to state that Shonda Rhimes, the producer and director, was lured into believing there was anything extraordinary and special about Anna, just like Rachel was, when they were friends.
In the series, she is shown as a backstabbing friend and materialistic opportunist crying white woman tears. There are moments she appears as shallow and it felt uncomfortable watching her cry at the trial in the final episode, I believe it is unfair and unwise to display her as the villain who crushed Anna’s dream and sent her to jail. It is almost like the audience is supposed to be disappointed in her for protecting herself and bringing Anna down to reality. To quote irl- Rachel ‘This is a narrative designed to create empathy for a character who lacks it.’
I couldn’t agree more.
Vivian Kent
The character of shunned journalist Vivian Kent, portrayed by Anna Chlumsky, who wrote the article on Anna, played a vital role in the story. Aside from Anna, she was the lead figure in each episode. Unfortunately, I found her tiresome. Her unhealthy obsession with Anna, and later sympathy and compassion, lead her to write an incredible article, which she needed desperately to redeem her abilities as a writer to her boss and herself, but her determination led her to make some bold choices. It felt like after each episode she sank more and more into the rabbit hole of Anna Delvey. She was continuously fascinated by her, even at Anna’s lowest. It is unclear if she felt sympathy for her because of motherly instincts, which she doesn’t seem to display much when it comes to her own daughter, or if the fascination came from a place of admiration. Her trip to Germany was absurd. Anna’s own mother told her she grew up with a ‘cold stranger under her roof’, pointing to her sociopathic tendencies, yet she mourned the 4-12 year sentence Anna has to serve. It is clear Anna will not stay in prison for 12 years, after all, Vivian made her a ‘celebrity’ and she was found not guilty on two of the big charges, but Vivian’s utter disbelief was just awkward to watch.
Overall
After finishing the show, I had many mixed feelings. After all, she was a criminal who defrauded people of hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet still she has fans and supporters, people that believe in her and her innocence. What does this say about the current state of our society? Undoubtedly, that we are incredibly vain with a deficiency of morals and easily fascinated and distracted. No wonder there are more and more successful scammers. The documentary about the ‘Tinder Swindler’ was released around the same time as Anna. Presenting himself as Simon Leviev, he is a notorious Love scammer, that has defrauded women all over the world, leaving them with immense debt and escaping from the judicial system unscathed. There is perhaps a deeper sociological reason for the surge in naivety and sociopaths. Or a psychological explanation for this phenomenon. Either way, ‘Inventing Anna’ does not give the answers to this question.
Overall, I would say this is a series with beautiful cinematography and talented actors, but a lacks a clear narrative. Some characters were vibrant and alluring whilst others were strange and downright repulsive. Having seen it, I would not recommend watching this series, but I can understand the interest in the story.
Perhaps on a rainy day with nothing else to do, it is the perfect time to watch.
Enjoyed this review? Read more here.