Incredulous and engaging, Inventing Anna is one of those “inspired by true events” stories that is a mixed bag. The titular character’s problematic history of conning the powerful and wealthy became very public when Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article hit the stands. It made ripples through the high and mighty circles Anna Delvey hustled her way into.

Creator: Shonda Rhimes
Cast: Anna Chlumsky, Julia Garner, Arian Moayed, Alexis Floyd, Katie Lowes, Laverne Cox, Anders Holm
Streaming On: Netflix

There was egg on the faces of even the most hardened professionals, ranging from the art and fashion world to Wall Street. In a high stakes city of money and influence, image matters more than anything else. And this is what Anna tapped into – worming her way into the closed-door world of New York’s upper crust society, impressing everyone with all things make-believe. As crazy as the story is, it is all based on fact. The resultant limited series, however, could have been just that bit better. The show is definitely watchable in parts. The most interesting aspect is the sense of anticipation: what lies beneath the carefully constructed veil, is the con a delusion, who is Anna Delvey or Anna Sorokin or whatever her real name is?

A pregnant Vivian (based on Jessica Pressler) has been relegated to a corner of the New York Magazine office – a place informally called “Scriberia”, where writers with waning careers are hung out to dry. When she pitches an unusual story about the recent arrest and arraignment of a wealthy German heiress called Anna Delvey, her editor turns it down. Without informing her bosses, she visits Anna in prison. And therein begins the rabbit hole of the Anna Delvey universe. No one quite knows how she got into town and schmoozed her way into New York’s highbrow elite. Once her incarceration is made public, that world she purportedly ripped off, gets even more tight-lipped. Pieces of the puzzle start to emerge as Vivian (now on the story, officially) speaks to an array of folks associated with the enigma. The more she digs, the more contradictions that are thrown up. One common perception is that she was incredible; her energy, her taste, her eye, her vision. From fashion designers and artists to wealthy/influential sponsors and wily financial veterans, they all fell prey to the image. She claims to have a millionaire father and a gigantic trust fund, but most of her cards get declined. And yet, she succeeds in living the high life, updating her Instagram and expanding her influencer status. Everyone who covers for her somehow believes that she is good for the money.

What Inventing Anna does well is to craft an enigmatic con woman from the age of social media. Image is everything, and there is no better example of that than Instagram. Pretending is halfway along the destination of being. Julia Garner’s fine portrayal of Anna takes the concept of manifestation to a whole new level. The limited series draws a thin line between self-deception and out-and-out sociopathy. The viewer is never provided with resolution, and it is hard to glean the complete truth. Anna could well be a manipulative narcissist or a damaged young woman buying into her own twisted view of reality. In spite of deeply strange accent that falters every now and then, Julia Garner mystifies with her riveting lead role. It is Anna Chlumsky’s Vivian who isn’t written as well, though. She may be a senior features writer, but she comes off as easily excitable, gets too comfortable with her subjects and breaks journalistic boundaries once too often. A naivete that’s plastered all over Vivian’s face gives Anna the required licence for manipulation. And then, there are Vivian’s veteran colleagues in “Scriberia”, who seem to have all the time in the world to assist her on the big story, making it absurd to think they might have work of their own.

The series pushes hard for the viewer to empathise with Anna; first through Vivian, who keeps feeling she is getting close to her, and then through Todd (Anna’s lawyer), who puts everything on the line for the case. We get that Vivian and Todd see Anna as their one last shot at professional redemption, but beginning to fall so easily for the façade doesn’t seem plausible. Because, in all honesty, there is nothing likable about Anna Delvey. Entitled, brash, manipulative, judgemental and attention-seeking are but some of the things that could be used to describe the woman. There is a scene towards the end when you feel that you’ve caught a glimpse of the person behind the persona, but before you know it, the door slams abruptly shut. She is termed a dumb socialite in the press, but through the course of the extended nine-part miniseries, it is clear that her wish to be taken seriously trumps all else. Many words could fit Anna Delvey’s personality…dumb is certainly not one of them!