Elegantly and insanely Rashomonesque is this Netflix series, titled Inventing Anna. Or, maybe I should say, a twisted, multi-headed narrative never had it this stylish before this story about a young German girl who penetrated the elite New York society and—give and take the jail time—ran away with it.
The reality about Anna Delvey, who is really Anna Sorokin (or are we really certain about this name?), turns into hyper-reality because as we contend with this series, there is online an active stream of data and news about the true (is this even the right term?) Anna.
Who is Anna Delvey?
If the series is to be believed, it is the story of a young woman who oh so badly want to belong, not to a community of people but to the rarefied circle of uber-rich people. First, she introduces herself as an heiress to a German wealth, adding to the details a family that is all business and not love. If that is not enough, then there is a domineering father who controls the multimillion trust fund (is it in dollars or in euro?) The New York upper crust does not buy into her poseur quickly; she goes through the process, which is nothing but the old strategy of social-climbing.
Gifted with a look that is first timid and then elegant, the kind that can easily be linked to old money, Anna funnels gradually an arrogance and forthrightness that are traits received as not only quirky but original. She is brimming with ideas: she wants to build a club that is so exclusive, only the really rich can afford and be allowed into it: an art foundation and club house that will be a gallery, with three different restaurants and hotel rooms perfectly curated for individuals with discerning taste.
But, you might ask, how did this young woman con the sophisticated and powerful men and women of New York art scene and financial institutions? Well, she did it by spending on expensive things, even travelling to even more expensive destinations. But when the time for paying comes, her credit card is either not read by the machine or she turns hysterical because some people can just be basic. In which case, she turns to the friend she has invited to be with her to pay first as she will remit the payment to the friend immediately. In which cases, she never pays these friends or altogether disappears.
In some situations, as in the case of an elderly woman who “adopts” Anna as a protégé, the former is just too embarrassed to be revealed as having been fooled by another person, who turns out to be not who what she says she is.
In what could have been a coup for Anna, she tries to wrangle a deal to secure ownership of one of the most prized real estates in New York.
She approaches a financing firm managed by a respectable finance adviser who brings her into contact with banks and investment houses. Earlier, she approached gallery owners, architects, and real estate developers but they would not even listen to her. She steps back, ingratiates herself with another entrepreneur, the same woman who would keep Anna under her wings, and is re-introduced to people who matter. By the time she arranges a party with her finance man, all those persons in the know about clubs, galleries and development are ready to say that they know Anna.
There is no need for a working credit card to impress the world one is rich so long as one has connections. In a dizzying sequence of securing a loan that would support her Anna Delvey Foundation, Anna gets into the list of prospective clients and business institutions. She is so good in this that she is able to convince a bank official to open for her a substantial deposit she could withdraw anytime. Up to this point, everyone believes Anna has the money and it is just a technical problem of the resources being in another place.
In the end, Anna Delvey, the German heiress and entrepreneur, is indicted as Anna Sorokin, Russian-born, non-heiress and we are not even sure about this, are we?
What is real is that Anna Sorokin is found guilty on most of the charges of grand larceny, attempted grand larceny and theft of services, all these connected to instances of wire fraud, fraudulent loan applications and failure to pay bills. In 2019, she is handed a sentence of four to 12 years.
Anna Sorokin is released in 2021. However, she is jailed again shortly after this by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She remains locked down in jail.
The cast, all mainstays of Shondaland—a reference to Shonda Rhimes, who is credited for creating this series—is a veritable gallery of wonderful character actors. The wealthy Nora is played by Kate Burton, the daughter of the Richard Burton and Sybil Christopher. When she speaks, she reeks of education and sophistication.
Jessica Pressler, whose New York Magazine article is the basis of Inventing Anna, is portrayed by Anna Chlumsky, who becomes Vivian onscreen. People remember Chlumsky as the effervescent girl in the sweet-tragic My Girl. The actress in this series has a whole repertory of odd grimaces but when she quiets down, she draws us into this question: How did this Anna defraud these savvy entrepreneurs and moneyed men and women?
Julia Garner, who has two Primetime Emmy Awards, is Anna Sorokin. With thin lips that curve downward as if she is always on the verge of weeping, an expression that can also pass of as an eternal smirk, Garner’s con artist is so credible that you loath her immediately, whether she is dressed impeccably or in prison uniform. And yet if the object of despise is to be debated on, the wealthy and the financially influential win hands down. Wealth, after all, can be greatly about greed than respectability. And we the poor delight in the fall from grace of the grossly affluent—the main reason for the delight in the series to go on and on and watch the powerful make fools of themselves.
Inventing Anna streams in the Philippine via Netflix.