Anyone who hasn’t binge-watched crime documentaries and the news would be unfamiliar with the Anna Delvey case. And when I say this, I’m mostly thinking about my generation. I can say that my friends certainly wouldn’t know who she was without explanation. Most Gen Zers would rather spend their time watching The Bachelor or Bridgerton over something like Forensic Files. And since true crime hasn’t reached the popularity that I believe it deserves, only long-term bingers of the genre were familiar with this case.
That’s until Shonda Rhimes decided to bring it to Netflix. She’s known for basically birthing Grey’s Anatomy, and her expertise translates into the show we have here. Specifically, Inventing Anna is based on Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article, “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People.” The drama centers around journalist Vivian Kent, a character based on Pressler, and her journalistic ambition to uncover the truth about Anna to write a story about her, despite many of her higher-ups telling her it isn’t worth her time. At this point, Anna Delvey was awaiting trial after being charged with second-degree grand larceny, first-degree attempted grand larceny and theft of services.
All nine episodes start off with a disclaimer: “This story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are totally made up.” That sets the tone for this entire show. First off, this sentence tells you just how seriously this show takes itself, and Anna. It’s Shondaland’s way of letting us know that this miniseries isn’t a documentary. Some elements didn’t take place in real life and only serve to spice up the story for viewers’ sakes. We’re reminded to enjoy this show for entertainment purposes. And while it can provide great general insight into the case, we need to remember our source if we wanna interpret anything as fact.
Our main girl is played by Emmy winner Julia Garner, who’s mostly known for playing Ruth Langmore in Netflix’s Ozark. Sporting a convincing European accent, Garner’s portrayal of Anna was the reason I kept watching until the end. Unlike the documentaries and informational videos I’d seen about Anna in the past, Garner gave her flavor. Before this, the public didn’t seem to know anything about Anna aside from her crimes. We knew nothing about the true liar behind Anna Delvey. While Inventing Anna may not be the most accurate when it comes to certain associates, such as Chase Sikorski, or her familial relations, we’re able to see this woman has certain personality traits and quirks that add to her sneakiness.
Strangely enough, Garner makes us want to like Anna, and the entire miniseries is framed around giving more complexity to the Anna Delvey character, and the liar behind her mask. Her overly independent mindset and general disdain for men are notable and have inspired many viewers to respect her for having this attitude. Anna justifies her crimes repeatedly by saying, in various ways, “Every day men do far worse things than anything I’ve allegedly done. And what happens to them? Nothing.” She carefully crafts her mannerisms to blend into high society. While she may sound like a girl boss, this woman is using female empowerment to manipulate others. Whenever she couldn’t get her away, she pulled the feminist card on whoever she was coercing. She made them feel like bad people if they didn’t succumb to her desires. Her feminist manifesto is more celebrated than condemned, and this was likely part of Rhimes’ tactic to show us who Anna was. What better way to tell someone’s story than showcasing their own perspective?
Anna’s perspective is presented even when she’s not on screen. Most of the regular cast consists of people who were closely associated with her or continuously defended her actions. They’re fascinated by her and speak of her as if she’s an art piece awaiting analysis. Anyone who sides with the prosecution, such as Catherine McGraw or Rachel Williams, is made out to be the villain. When everybody is awaiting her verdicts, we’re all asking ourselves, “Will Anna be charged with what she did to Rachel?” What we’re not asking ourselves is “Will Rachel win her case?” We care about Anna, and even though we shouldn’t, we also feel sympathy for her.
Why is this the case? How has Shonda Rhimes’s creation and Julia Garner’s performance led us to romanticize a criminal? While I firmly believe the script played a huge part in this, I wish people talked more about the musical score. We hear songs such as “Rich” by Megan Thee-Stallion, “Can’t Break My Vibe” by Hot Kick, “Queen” by Stella Mwangi and “She a Bad One” by Robyn the Bank. These titles alone should tell you what kind of frame we put together subconsciously when we hear music like this played while Anna’s conducting her shady business. A picture is painted of Anna Delvey, and in it, she’s slick, intelligent, ambitious and power-hungry.
Inventing Anna has raised empathy for Anna Delvey and continued to fuel the ongoing fascination with her essence and activities. There’s no denying that we’ll continue to see more interest in true crime dramas and documentaries and that the real Anna Delvey will continue to get exactly what she’s always wanted and the ultimate reason why she did what she did: fame and recognition.