Inventing Anna is a series dedicated to highlighting the life of a once-con artist Anna Delvey. The show grasps the essence of the con in its purest. As the whole show is based on the journalist’s account of Anna’s trial, it lets us focus on things beyond just the crime. What made Anna Sorokin an Anna Delvey? How can a woman who owned nothing get this close to getting thousands of dollars from a few of the most renowned banks in New York?
Let’s begin where it all started for the plot. Inventing Anna is based on a journalist’s account of Anna’s life and trial. Journalist named Jessica Pressler. The American journalist and contributing editor at New York magazine dedicated a long time to writing her article. ‘Maybe she had so much money she just lost track of it’.
The limited series covers her account of the whole event. Jessica’s interactions with Anna and the people she knew. While tracking the origin story of the infamous Anna Delvey, Jessica felt the need to ask deep-rooted questions, “Is she evil, or is society evil?” Whilst investigating the legendary Instagram self-proclaimed German heiress, she uncovered a lot about how Anna got to be who she really is. Anna Sorokin was a total in debt of approximately $275,000. She is currently done with her sentence and struggling to claim citizenship in America.
With the show’s synopsis out of the way, we can delve into deeper questions. Questions like how did Anna have the kind of money she did to support her lavish lifestyle? Well, the answer is simple. People look for stories, and she sold hers. According to Insider, the once-convicted con artist ended up making $320,000 from selling her life’s account to Netflix. In the end, she made more as Anna Sorokin than as Anna Delvey.
The woman found potential in giving people what they wanted to hear. She painted them a picture they all wanted to believe in. She conned her way through life, using fraudulent cheques and finesse in choice. Not only did she integrate herself into the New York art scene quite vividly, but she was also found hanging out with the city’s creme.
Anna sold the story of her life that would have let her live the way she did. The woman managed to travel around the world and live in a few of the most expensive hotels that exist.
Anna Delvey wore fancy clothes and spoke art. She spoke the language of the rich. Is that all it takes to persuade a few of the most prestigious financial institutions that exist? Looking like you have money. Jessica added in one of her interviews, “She was kind of allowed to become this because this is the way the world is” Do we blame the con or blame the society that finds shelter in a story of the rich? As the show suggests, everyone lies a little bit.
Shouldn’t financial institutions also be held accountable for their incompetence when it came to verifying credentials? Makes you wonder and branch out a lot when thinking of Jessica as Vivian Kent in Inventing Anna. Give the gift of a show and narrative a watch if you haven’t already.
Inventing Anna now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer for the limited series here. If you are into similar shows, check out this true-crime docuseries here!
