Who is Anna Delvey? The question that’s been circling around the world of streaming since the show’s release on February 11th, Inventing Anna is the show that everyone is talking about. The nine-episode Netflix release was bound to be a hit with Shonda Rhimes’s name attached to it, and, even two months later, it continues to hold a prominent top 10 spot in global viewership for its eighth week in a row.
The limited series, through its depiction of how a fake socialite scammed her way into elite lavishness, is based on a true story of Anna Sorokin, using the fake name of Anna Delvey after her mother’s maiden name (yet another lie), through her master con plan from 2013-2017. Through several schemes unimaginable to the common man, including stealing a private jet, flouncing her way through a bougie Morocco trip without a single payment, or spending 400 thousand a credit card that of course didn’t belong to her, the real Anna was convicted on eight counts of larceny and theft in 2019—but not, of course, without signing a Netflix deal encapsulating the brilliant criminality that she tricked dozens of people into. The show mainly revolves around journalist Vivian Kent in New York City, a fictional character based on Jessica Pressler, the journalist at New York Magazine who recently covered Sorokin’s story for the New Yorker, as she conducts interview after interview with all the people, that we know of, who fell prey to Anna’s façade.
The viewers, and perhaps no one except for the real Anna herself, will never know the extent of her damage, as every episode starts with the caption, “This whole story is completely true. Except for the parts that are totally made up.” So, you might be wondering, should you too be attempting to decipher the Anna Sorokin motivations and psyche from the comfort of your laptop screen?
Right off the bat, I have to mention the thought that I was consistently venting to my family and friends when I was watching the show (a special thank you to everyone in my life who put up with me during that)—Julia Garner, the actress already receiving admirable praise for her role as Ruth Langmore in Ozark, does a phenomenal job at making the viewer hate, and I mean loathe, the created, or perhaps spot-on, personality of Anna.
Whether it be her so-called friends who lent an arm and a leg to justify Anna’s selfishness, her public defender who put his career on the line for her case, or the reporter who made her a well-known icon, Anna is shown to value her wants and needs above every other person or limitation in her way. Her complete lack of empathy or compassion for other people had me rolling my eyes and gritting my teeth as I was praying for her to be knocked down a notch (or ten), which just shows Garner’s dedication to the role that fit her so perfectly. The show makes you analyze, to the best of your ability, how someone so insensitive, yet fascinating, can make a dream life for herself out of dust, and let alone exist among us. In my humble opinion, Garner should be considered in high regard for her perfect performance in such an aggravating, yet captivating role.
Second, as I mentioned, it’s hard to imagine that a person like Anna Delvey, by casting all other considerations that aren’t in her best interest aside, can trick so many people into playing her one-sided games of fortune and power. However, the show brings up this reoccurring theme in other characters as well, perhaps for a reason (spoiler ahead: read at your own risk). In the first episode, Neff Davis, Anna’s ride-or-die best friend, is unhesitant to point out Vivian Kent should own up to her own hypocrisy in shamelessly chasing a story to overcome past stigma in her journalism career. Even more shockingly, Rachel Williams, another close confidant of Anna’s, gained the pity of Anna’s jury for being forced to take on a massive debt to cover for their failed Morocco trip, only for it to be later revealed that Rachel had signed a 630-thousand-dollar book and TV deal that would comfortably cover any financial difficulty her friend had stiffed her with.
Regardless on if you’re “Team Anna” or “Team Not Anna” in these many scenarios, the show makes no mistake in its common theme that most people will go through extraordinary lengths to get ahead in this world. It’s a dark truth that may be more prevalent in the hustle-and-bustle atmospheres of New York or Los Angeles for sure, but the show is even comparable to the competitiveness of the UW environment as well—to “prove” one’s status and intelligence here, skewed more in other majors versus others but nevertheless still prevalent, Seattle’s finest students are forced to compete against each other in classes, extracurriculars, and internships to the point of mental stress and exhaustion. As the world today seems to orient itself on proving that you’re the best of the best, it makes me wonder, when are we going to put an end to this toxicity?
As a third and final feature of the show that had me in contemplation, so much so that I’m writing a lengthy article on it two months after its introduction, Inventing Anna really wastes no space in communicating the role of consumerism and capitalism in today’s United States culture.
Both the character and actual person of Anna Delvey, or Sorokin, stop at nothing to fulfill her wildest dreams of fashion, travel, and overall wealth over four years of con artistry, to the point where she doesn’t regret anything legally or morally wrong that she’s done to get there. It’s perhaps shocking to some viewers, like me, that someone like Anna would put everything and more on the line just for a few bouts of momentary happiness that money is able to offer, but, as harsh as it is to realize, and as much as we think Material Girl is just a funny song on Tik Tok, most people are more engrained in the oppressive system of capitalism than we think. Although most of us wouldn’t ever see ourselves following the Anna Delvey route to scandalous fortune, we all love to engage in shopping sprees, expensive dinners, or spa days, both as a reward for our hard work or as a leisurely pastime. And while I’m not here to shame these behaviors, because believe me, I enjoy them too, it’s interesting to think about how the prospect of flaunting money can be, and often is, a main motivator in our daily lives.
Because of its fascinating acting and subtle truths about modern mankind, shown through the adventure of a working-class girl who almost succeeded in catching the world in her hands, Inventing Anna is a thrilling watch for anyone looking for a change of pace. If I’ve convinced you, don’t be ashamed—hop on Netflix and get to it.