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James Marsh

3/5 stars
“This whole story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are totally made up,” is the declaration that opens each episode of Inventing Anna, the latest series from hitmaker Shonda Rhimes under her deal with Netflix.
This nine-part account of the life and crimes of supposed heiress-turned-New York socialite Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, details how the diminutive blonde with a peculiar accent defrauded Wall Street and high society luminaries.
Inspired by Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People”, Inventing Anna follows journalist Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky) as she investigates Delvey following her arrest on 10 counts of grand larceny.


She seeks out various bankers, hoteliers, property agents, socialites and fashion-lovers who were sucked into Anna’s orbit, but also approaches the mysterious woman herself (played by an unrecognisable Julia Garner), imprisoned at Rikers Island, New York’s main jail complex.
Over the course of the show, they develop an abrasive, tentative rapport – trading details for designer underwear – all while Vivian is just weeks away from giving birth to her first child.

The extent of Anna’s grift unfolds in a series of flashbacks, with each episode focusing on a different oblivious, naive or money-grubbing victim.
The series leaves us guessing about Anna’s origins, upbringing, family and wealth. We suspect her claims of a US$60 million trust fund, locked away in a complicated European banking system, are exaggerated at best. Yet, time and time again, she is able to fob people off with the promise of incoming wire transfers that never materialise, while running up wince-inducing hotel bills and credit card debts that are never repaid.
After establishing herself within the snobbish yet achingly superficial circles of New York high society, Anna unveils her grand scheme: the Anna Delvey Foundation, an exclusive members club and creatives’ refuge in the heart of Manhattan.

Exploiting her boyfriend, self-serving tech bro Chase (Saamer Usmani), for his cash and contacts, she moves on to old-money socialite Nora (Kate Burton), who introduces her to the city’s most prestigious architects, designers, restaurateurs and financiers, all falling over each other to get a piece of ADF, which promises to be the city’s ultimate VIP hotspot.
Vivian is also able to track down Anna’s cabal of BFFs, mostly thanks to her high-profile and hugely prolific Instagram account. Hotel concierge Neff (Alexis Floyd), Vanity Fair staffer Rachel (Katie Lowes) and personal trainer Kasy (Laverne Cox) all believed they knew the real Anna, the true friend behind the luxury wardrobe and oversized glasses, but the more Vivian tugs on the threads of their friendship, the more everything starts to unravel.
A Hong Kong Anna Delvey: the rise and fall of socialite Azura
Garner’s impressively off-key performance ensures that Anna remains a baffling enigma. Despite always appearing in the right place wearing the right thing, and knowing exactly what to order or what to say, Anna cast a slight, almost dainty figure, was relatively plain-looking, and was cold and calculating.
And that accent – a bizarre hodgepodge of indistinct East European inflections – is impossible to place. Anna claimed she spoke seven languages, yet is caught out by the most simple of phrases. Was it all an affectation? Did Anna even know what was true any more?

The show’s best decision is aligning Vivian’s struggle with Anna’s, as both women hustle to get their respective projects over the finish line in a male-dominated, money-driven society.
Burdened by a past journalistic blunder, Vivian has been banished to the darkest corner of the office, where a trio of ageing old-school hacks have been left to their own devices.
Inevitably, these insufferably accommodating veterans are all too willing to assist in countless hours of research and legwork, leaving Vivian free to hound Anna’s long-suffering lawyer (Arian Moayed) for access to her case files.

Arriving just a week after the documentary film The Tinder Swindler, Inventing Anna manages to be more than just another tale of an opportunistic wannabe taking the wealthy for a ride, even as it fulfils its duties as a larger-than-life sensationalist thrill ride from the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton.
Inventing Anna is brazen, unsubtle, yet undeniably entertaining and, as it’s Netflix, about three episodes too long. It blows its vast budget following Anna as she jet sets from Ibiza, Spain, to Marrakech, Morocco, while the costume department works overtime emulating her immaculate sense of style.
Inventing Anna is ultimately seduced by the same superficiality it is purportedly condemning, and falls short of its goal of being a skewering exposé of a sex- and money-driven patriarchy. But, truth be told, it’s precisely the show’s glossy, trashy tabloid quality that makes it so enjoyable to watch.
Inventing Anna is streaming on Netflix.


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Netflix

Netflix drama review: Inventing Anna – Anna Delvey’s glamorous grifter life in New York dramatised by Shonda Rhimes

Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in a still from Inventing Anna. Photo: David Giesbrecht/Netflix.

Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in a still from Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix drama series Inventing Anna, based on the life and crimes of the New York high society grifter also known as Anna Sorokin. Photo: Nicole Rivelli/Netflix

Anna Chlumsky as Vivian Kent in a still from Inventing Anna. Photo: Nicole Rivelli/Netflix

Saamer Usmani (left) as Chase Sikorski and Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in a still from Inventing Anna. Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix

Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in a still from Inventing Anna. Photo: Nicole Rivelli/Netflix

Julia Garner as Anna Delvey and James Cusati-Moyer as Val in a still from Inventing Anna. Photo: David Giesbrecht/Netflix

Netflix movie review: The Tinder Swindler – true-crime documentary offers fascinating account of Simon Leviev’s dating apps-aided spree of theft, forgery and fraud

Joe Stassi as Simon Leviev in a still from The Tinder Swindler. Photo: Netflix

Joe Stassi as Simon Leviev in a still from The Tinder Swindler, Felicity Morris’ riveting account of how Simon Leviev conned women he met on dating app Tinder out of millions. Photo: Netflix

Cecilie Fjellhøy in a still from The Tinder Swindler. Photo: Netflix

A still from The Tinder Swindler. Photo: Netflix

Netflix movie review: Child of Kamiari Month – Japanese anime with voice of True Mothers star Aju Makita offers a sombre examination of grief

A still from Child of Kamiari Month.

A still from Child of Kamiari Month, directed by Takana Shirai and with the voice of Aju Makita.

Netflix movie review: Looop Lapeta – Hindi remake of Run Lola Run takes a relaxed approach to the cult German thriller

Tahir Raj Bhasin in a still from Looop Lapeta.

Taapsee Pannu in a still from Looop Lapeta a Hindi remake of the German classic Run Lola Run.

Moritz Bleibtreu and Franka Potente in a still from Run Lola Run, the inspiration for Looop Lapeta. Photo: Shutterstock

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A still from The Orbital Children. The Japanese animated series on Netflix is a beautiful yet incredibly disorienting and dull experience.

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From Chanel bag to Burberry coat, Netflix’s Inventing Anna captures the Uptown Girl milieu of New York con artist Anna Delvey

Julia Garner in a still from Netflix’s Inventing Anna. The titular character wears Chanel and Prada like she’s been wearing it all her life – but her wealth is a lie. Photo: Netflix

Julia Garner in a still from Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Photo: TNS

Garner and Alexis Floyd (right) in a still from Inventing Anna. Photo: Netflix

Garner in a still from Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Photo: Netflix

Garner in a still from Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Delvey lived for months in a US$1,700-per-night room at 12 George Hotel. Photo: Netflix

Garner and Kate Burton (right) in a still from Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Photo: Netflix

Garner in a still from Netflix’s Inventing Anna. Law enforcement arrested Delvey in July 2017. Photo: AP

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Nine-part series based on the grift of supposed New York heiress Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, shows how she tricked high-society luminaries
The show is unsubtle but entertaining, albeit about three episodes too long. Julia Garner’s impressively off-key performance ensures Anna remains an enigma



Shonda Rhimes’ entertaining but overly long Netflix drama series Inventing Anna is based on the crimes of Anna Delvey, who conned her way into New York high society.


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An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


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Review | Netflix drama review: Inventing Anna – Anna Delvey’s glamorous grifter life in New York dramatised by Shonda Rhimes