A few weekends ago, my partner and I binge-watched Inventing Anna on Netflix. Before going further, it’s important to note that my partner and I rarely find shows or movies to watch together that we both enjoy. However, like the first line of an academic essay, this show had us hooked. This show was not only structured in a unique and effective way, it also had an interesting topic about something I’d never learned about before.
This show is based on the real life events (…”except for the parts that are totally made up”) of Anna Sorokin, who posed as Anna Delvey – a German heiress who gained access to New York upper class society and manipulated all of them.
Let’s start with the structure. The show is through the eyes of Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), which was a smart move for the creators of the show. Kent (in real life, Jessica Pressler) is a journalist who hears about the social mogul, Anna Sorokin/Delvey who was recently prosecuted by the New York District Attorney. In an attempt to revive her journalism career, she demands her editors to let her write this story.
From there, she begins her research and interview process. The show is set-up where we witness her interview/research new people from Anna’s life. First, she travels to Rikers to interview Anna herself. Anna, acting as the entitled heiress she’s pretending to be, is reluctant to agree to talk to Kent. Eventually, Kent persuades Anna to do the interview and partake in the article because it will gain Anna more fame and popularity.
From there, Kent researches and interviews all of Anna’s friends/colleagues that she met in New York. Some of these friendships may be genuine, others were simply manipulative for Anna to climb the social ladder. I appreciated how the plot started at the present moment (when she was arrested by the DA) then took the viewers back in time through the chronological series of events. Kent (and therefore the show) took a deep dive into each of the relationships Anna had. Inventing Anna had a good method of showing everyone’s views of who was caught up in Anna’s lifestyle.
It’s one of those shows that makes you critically think. Inventing Anna is encapsulating and jaw-dropping. If you’ve never heard Anna Sorokin’s story, this is your push to watch and learn about it on Netflix. Remember, “this whole story is completely true, except for all the parts that are totally made up.”