Inventing Anna is a limited series that has dropped on Netflix on Feb. 11. Inventing Anna, directed by David Frankel, is inspired by the 2018 New York Magazine investigation that was processed due to an article written by Jessica Pressler. In the Jessica Pressler investigation, the journalist was caught writing a false article on a teenage boy who had gotten rich with millions of dollars before he even graduated high school, which was written in her best things about New York article. Her credibility and reputation took a hit as news spread about the situation. Around May of 2018, Jessica Pressler wrote an article on the ‘fake heiress’ which sparked curiosity in the crowds of New York and other surrounding states. This article exposing the realities of New York and how money would be able to blind even the highly respected individuals won her respect back in the journalist community. 

Inventing Anna was based on a true story. In Inventing Anna, Anna Delvey was a woman who came to the United States, specifically New York, to build her business and make a name for herself. She presents herself as a German who was born in a wealthy family with a complicated relationship. As she leaves her life in Europe behind and moves to the U.S, you see her process as she surrounds herself in and out of different social groups and makes connections with well known individuals. She was known to be spoiled and rude, yet gained the attention of many people around her drawing in more connections with people. Her business, the Anna Delvey Foundation, was the reason for her motivation for power and growth. By being in a relationship with Chase (Saamer Usmani), she was able to have connections with Nora (Kate Burton), who was a very wealthy mentor to Chase. After severing this connection, she uses Nora to get her in contact with well known lawyers and bankers for her Anna Delvey Foundation. Anna is seen living in hotels and buys from the most expensive places in New York City. Her confident way of speaking and acting won her on trips involving yachts, boats, and planes to which she ‘borrowed’. She was known and respected for years, until fraud and bankruptcy took over.

Vivian Kent(Anna Chlumsy), was there to represent Jessica Pressler as news about a wealthy individual in jail spreads. Vivian fights to get this article instead of an assigned one, and ends up with a deeply routed event involving a scammer and deceiver. She immersed herself in the world of Anna, as her main focus for months would not be her 8 month pregnant stomach, but would be adding up the connections between Anna and the purpose of these events. Her life was almost obsessively consumed with the life and lies of the fake heiress. Despite the fact Anna would disrespect her every meeting they had by talking down on Vivian’s clothing, hair choice, and form of interest in the case, Vivian and Anna had a connection of mutual respect for each other at the end of the show. This is represented by a momentary vulnerability seen with Anna as she is moved to another facility to continue her time sentence. 

Others involved in Anna and her decievement would be Rachel (Katie Lowes), who is a Vanity Fair photo editor. After being on a trip with Anna and a photographer in Morocco, a big sum was taken from her company card after Anna was unable to pay for her stay. After waiting three months for Anna to return the $60,000 taken that day and having an intervention planned, Rachel involved the police and district attorney officers in order to be in the court trial with Anna. When Anna goes to trial she is shown as one of the victims with the bankers Anna owed from. Rachel was dismissed by Todd (Arian Moayed), who was Anna’s lawyer. He exposed how Rachel created an article against her position to post her side of the situation, and by selling it to a company received double the amount needed to pay back the company. Other honorable mentions would be the two friends involved with Anna just to be friends which were Neff (Alexis Floyd) who has stuck by her side and defended her throughout the process, and Kacy Duke (Laverne Cox). 

 Further into the show, Anna is revealed to not be a German nor was she a part of a wealthy family. Anna Delvey or more accurately Anna Sorokin is a Russian woman who scammed so many big names in New York into getting higher in the rankings. Her goal was to be famous and well known like those around her. By meeting people and presenting herself with luxury items, her extensive knowledge of managing, and the way she carried herself with confidence it tricked the people around her to trust her. From using a voice changing app acting as a family lawyer, to acting as if she overdosed in order to pause her visa form expiring to even committing wire fraud in order to stay at expensive places and get people to be at her Anna Delvey Foundation; she took about $275,000 from people. 

Anna was found guilty of second degree larceny and first degree attempted larceny as well as theft of services. Though getting the fame in which she was looking for, she was sentenced to twelve years in prison. She was released after serving two years. A month out of prison, she was taken into custody by ICE due to her visa expiring and overstaying her time in the U.S. it was said that the real Anna Sorokin sold her story to Netflix from prison in order to pay back the bank and state fees owed, which is where the show came from. She is currently in prison, though one may never know the true story and nature behind the event. 

It was very entertaining to watch and I loved seeing the schemes as well as the make up and break down of Anna. I loved seeing the differences in her personality and reactions. It was interesting her background where she came from and the mystery that it has since not everything was revealed. Though Anna is an irritating character to me personally, she is definitely one that people can relate to in some ways regarding her outlook in life and the background in which she grew up. I also loved seeing how each of the characters played their roles in her life and getting into the charts, especially knowing her grand scheme of the situation. And I loved seeing Vivian and her determination pay off in an amazing way for her new family.