On February 11, Netflix premiered the new mini-series 'Inventing Anna', telling the relatively recent story of the Russian-born con artist Anna Sorokina (Delvey). Cinema is kind to con artists, so the 'tudum' platform clearly counted on a new potenti...
The biography of Anna Sorokina is truly worthy of a screen adaptation. An ordinary girl from a Russian family, the daughter of a truck driver who moved to Germany in the 2000s, managed to infiltrate the elite circles of New York and fool incredibly rich and famous people for years, posing as a wealthy German heiress. And she wasn't even thirty! Isn't that a fantastic story to tell? So Netflix took on adapting the story of Delvey-Sorokina, resulting in 'Inventing Anna'.
The showrunner of the mini-series is the legendary Shonda Rhimes. Legendary, because 'Grey's Anatomy', created under her guidance, is already iconic, and last year's series, which became the most (!!!) popular show on Netflix, once again confirmed Rhimes' status. The $150 million deal Shonda made with the streaming service has practically paid off. So, the service made a significant bet on the project, but is it worth the average viewer spending 10 hours of their life on the scams of our compatriot, shown through the lens of a soap opera lover?
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Open materialWhat's the Plot?
On November 20, 2017, Anna Delvey (the magnificent Julia Garner) — a pseudo-heiress from Germany — is charged with theft and fraud. The girl lived in luxury hotels without paying, managed to deceive the country's famous financiers and philanthropists, and almost secured a loan for over $20 million.
The Delvey story wasn't widely covered and could have quietly ended, but journalist Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky) from Manhattan Magazine saw huge potential for an article. Proposing her own topic to the editor, Kent gets rejected and assigned another task: to write a piece about #MeToo on Wall Street. Vivian disobeys the unpleasant editor (No wonder. Weinstein got his due in early October, and by late November, there was almost nothing left to squeeze out of the topic) and heads to Rikers Island prison to meet Anna.
Delvey meets the pregnant journalist and behaves quite arrogantly and cheekily, constantly noting that she came for a regular visit, not under the auspices of the press, which comes with many privileges and VIP conditions. Vivian tries to persuade Anna to give an exclusive interview that could rehabilitate Kent's career (there was some unpleasant incident in the past, after which her professional activity declined).
The potentially interesting heroine promises to think it over, so the journalist ignores the harassment material and begins her own investigation into the last years of the fake heiress's life, acquiring an incredibly cool team of journalist allies sitting next to her in the office.
Who Are You, Anna?!
The mini-series about Anna Delvey lasts about ten hours. Each episode is essentially dedicated to one character and their story related to the socialite. Conversations with a former friend, a female philanthropist, a friend who worked at the hotel, and other participants in the story of Anna's grand deception.
The problem is that by the trial episodes, almost no trace remains of half the characters. The creators discard them, just as Sorokina discarded people at a certain stage of her life. For example, Anna's former friend, stylist Val (James Moyer), simply disappears from the series after telling his story to the journalist, even though at the beginning, the authors showed the character from the perspective of incredible importance to the story. Not only Val but also other people vanish from the screen. On one hand, it's understandable that the characters have played their role, but you can't just throw them overboard.
Every episode of 'Inventing Anna' begins with a stylish disclaimer woven into the world of the series: 'This story is completely true, except for the part that is entirely made up.' The phrase brilliantly describes the ten-hour season from an emotional standpoint. The viewer, until the final credits of the ninth episode, doesn't understand how to feel about the main character. Who did Shonda Rhimes ultimately want to show us? A cool, charismatic, cheeky, and incredibly stylish woman who reached unprecedented heights, even if through deception? Or a pathetic, low, manipulative, tearful, and hysterical girl trapped in the body of a spoiled child?
From the very first frame, Julia Garner captivates the viewer with her charisma and audacity, after which, for a while, the viewer sees Delvey as an embodiment of feminism. She directly states how difficult it is for a woman in business, defends her right to create the 'Anna Delvey Foundation' (ADF), and fights her way to success by any means. But in an instant, at the snap of a finger, the embodiment of feminism switches to the other side of the barricades and spews out all the female stereotypes that feminism tries to fight.
Garner, with a red face and on the verge of tears, starts claiming that her rich daddy loves her but won't give her money. She hysterically screams that the establishment has problems with the payment system, and she has tons of money. The image of the millionaire crumbles at this stage constantly throughout her life. It's amazing how no one saw through such stupidity. A woman claiming to be rich can never pay the bill at a hotel/restaurant, manipulating stereotypes. Either the New York celebrities are incredibly stupid, or Shonda overdid the soap opera in 'Inventing Anna'.
It's hard to judge lying schemes without being a con artist oneself, but couldn't she have bothered to have some money to cover restaurant and hotel expenses to maintain the image of a heiress with a $65 million trust fund? Doesn't it seem like the height of stupidity to fly to a completely unfamiliar country for a vacation in the best suite of one of the world's most luxurious hotels without a single cent to your name, promising to cover the expenses along the way?
So who is Anna Delvey? Despite all the feminism in the series, one gets the impression that the cool con artist is just a stupid little child, insulting everyone who comes even a step closer to her true essence and her flimsy, shaky deception.
A Message for You
It is known that Shonda Rhimes is not shy about putting strong, independent women in the spotlight. 'Inventing Anna' is no exception, as the series is full of bright female characters. Not only Sorokina herself is seen as such in Rhimes' eyes, but also journalist Vivian Kent, Anna's friend Neff (Alexis Floyd), philanthropist Nora Radford (Kate Burton), and fitness trainer Kacy Duke (Laverne Cox). Each heroine looks admirable in Shonda's view. And indeed, completely different women are united by one aura of strength, regardless of race, age, and life circumstances.
Another ode to female strength and independence is the soundtrack of 'Inventing Anna'. While watching, you can hear songs by Cardi B, Fifth Harmony, and Megan Thee Stallion. The compositions of these bright representatives of modern women's music fit quite smoothly into the events of the series and harmonize perfectly with the picture of luxurious life.
Besides feminism, the series also raises other topics that stir modern American society: racism, Trump's politics (considering when the events take place), harassment, society's attitude towards the media and its representatives, and, of course, the American Dream. There is plenty to discuss, but most of the time is devoted specifically to feminism (in particular, the difficulties of pregnancy and obstacles at work and in business).
The character of journalist Vivian Kent turned out to be an excellent embodiment of female strength. The woman overcomes all the trials that arise on her life and professional path (the editor regularly puts a spoke in her wheel). She tries to realize herself as a journalist and restore her own lost reputation before 'a baby pops out of her vagina' (an incredibly cool quote, which is far from the only one in the series).
Mrs. Kent runs from source to source, gets sent away, redirected to another place, gets initiated into the intricacies of a luxurious life, and has her non-wealthy existence thrown in her face, but Vivian overcomes all difficulties, and, even almost giving birth, finishes the article, getting the last source's consent for publication with her water already broken. An embodiment of true female strength and power. The only surprising thing is that in 2017, Vivian initially didn't even think to look for information and sources on Instagram. Not only that, she was shocked to learn how many leads could be found on social media when older colleagues opened up this untapped field for her.
The other heroines of 'Inventing Anna' are no less admirable than Vivian Kent. For example, Neff, who dreams of becoming a director and works hard at the '12 George' hotel. She is self-sufficient, confident, and charismatic, but in one moment, the character (or the writers) certainly overdoes it with a caustic response to Rachel (it is Anna's ex-friend Rachel who turns out to be the most disgusting female character, evoking no positive emotions). Even on the level of tolerance, Neff's phrase about her purchase, tied to racism, seems a bit nonsensical.
By the way, the project has great male characters too. Sorokina-Delvey's lawyer, Todd Spodek (Arian Moayed), and the journalists helping Vivian with the material, Barry (Terry Kinney) and Lou (Jeff Perry), also stand out among the rest (one of the journalists is responsible for the quote about the baby popping out, and overall, the supporting cast does a good job with their assigned comedic roles).
The characters of Todd and Vivian formed a good friendly tandem over the 9 episodes against the backdrop of Anna's court case. There was excellent chemistry between the characters, and in the end, sitting against a chroma-key bridge (and here you can sometimes see how clumsily the background is drawn), the viewer worries about Anna and her future fate along with them.
What's the Verdict?
The mini-series 'Inventing Anna', based on the article by Jessica Pressler (the real-life prototype of Vivian) and released on Netflix exactly one year after Delvey-Sorokina's release from prison (she was released on February 11, 2021, for good behavior and participation in prison programs), turned out to be decent.
The project won't receive raves, hype, or records, and it won't become a new streaming hit like 'The Queen's Gambit' or 'Bridgerton' for the biography of our con artist. The reasons are numerous: slight but still present dragging, abandoned characters and their storylines, Garner's character's vague image, the painted-on look of the metropolises, and other minor issues.
You can certainly watch Shonda Rhimes' multi-episode project out of curiosity, but only if you have ten spare hours and a desire to see stylish and strong heroines on screen, while shattering your own beliefs about the American Dream against the rocks of the cruel real capitalist world.
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