Inventing Anna (2022)

Inventing Anna (2022): A High‑Society Conspiracy of Deception

Inventing Anna is a 2022 drama series that dramatizes the true story of Anna Sorokin, who posed as a wealthy socialite named Anna Delvey and defrauded New York’s elite out of large sums of money. The show follows a journalist’s investigation into Anna’s rise and fall, framing the narrative around questions of ambition, class, authenticity, and the media’s role in shaping public perception. With a mix of flashbacks and present-day reporting, the series traces how Sorokin cultivated an image of affluence, exploited social networks and institutions, and ultimately faced legal consequences.

Characters and performances

The central performance is by Julia Garner, who portrays Anna with a careful blend of charisma, slipperiness, and vulnerability. Supporting roles include people from Anna’s social circle, victims of her schemes, and the reporter determined to untangle the truth. The ensemble work underscores the contrast between Anna’s constructed persona and the more mundane realities of those she targeted, while also exploring how many characters enabled or were complicit in sustaining her façade.

Themes and tone Inventing

Anna examines trust, identity, and the allure of wealth. The series interrogates how status functions as currency and how appearances can be weaponized. It also questions the ethics of storytelling — particularly when true events are adapted for drama — by showing multiple perspectives on the same events and by highlighting the reporter’s editorial choices. Tonally, the show mixes glossy, glamorous visuals with moments of sharp social critique and legal drama.

Bastian Schwind-Wagner_Follow "Inventing Anna is a stylish dramatization of a remarkable fraud that combines a compelling lead performance with questions about truth, privilege, and the ethics of turning recent real events into entertainment."

Structure and storytelling techniques

The series uses nonlinear storytelling, alternating between investigative scenes and reenactments of Anna’s schemes. This structure allows the audience to compare reported facts with Anna’s staged reality, creating tension between intention and truth. The storytelling emphasizes dialogue and character interaction over procedural detail, aiming to keep the viewer invested in interpersonal dynamics as much as in the mechanics of the fraud.

Critical reception and controversies

Inventing Anna received mixed-to-positive reviews: critics praised Garner’s performance and the show’s stylish production values, while some reviewers criticized the series for dramatizing or simplifying complex real-life details and for potentially glamorizing the subject. The adaptation sparked debate about the responsibilities of creators when adapting recent true crimes and about the ethical implications of turning real victims’ experiences into entertainment.

Cultural impact

The series reignited public interest in the real‑life case and prompted renewed discussion about privilege, the power of narrative, and how social institutions can be manipulated. It also contributed to the ongoing cultural fascination with con artists by framing Sorokin’s story through contemporary concerns about image, social media, and economic inequality.