Inventing Anna
Created by Shonda Rhimes
★★★★
Episode
4
Description
Inventing Anna. Anna Chlumsky as Vivian Kent in episode 104 of Inventing Anna. Cr. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix © 2021
Production Stills
3600 x 2400
Credit
NICOLE RIVELLI/NETFLIX
Is there really a way to get as far as Anna Delvey did, or did she just get lucky? Inventing Anna is almost a how-to on what not to do when attempting to scam millionaires out of their money. As an actor I know first hand that it is sometimes all about who you know. When this much money is at stake, it’s amazing that word of mouth was almost enough to get her to build an empire from nothing. It really makes you wonder if anyone could attempt this and actually succeed, or just white girls who claim to have money.
Julia Garner plays Anna Delvey with such intensity, if the real Anna Delvey was half as convincing as Julia Garner, it’s no wonder she got so far. Garner’s portrayal leaves you questioning Delvey’s sanity at every moment.
The series has a great flow in telling the story chronologically through the first-hand accounts of friends and the people who worked for Delvey, one in particular being Neff (Alexis Floyd). Neff is hilarious and authentic and gives Delvey a personification that no other characters do (not even Vivian). Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky) has something to prove and nothing to lose to get every detail of this story. The whole series doesn’t revolve around just Anna Delvey and her case, but also Vivian’s career and home life, which helps the audience trust Vivian as a reporter, and understand why she goes to the extent to get all the information about Anna in the first place. We also get to see the home life of Delvey’s lawyer Todd (Arian Moayed), the stresses he endures of juggling a career and family which makes both his and Vivian’s decisions throughout the series seem more valid as we root for them both to succeed.
Inventing Anna has a time constraint of not only Anna’s impending trial, but also Vivian’s quickly approaching due date. To add to this stress and chaos, the camera goes hand-held every now and then, without becoming overwhelming nor overused. It’s just the right amount to get the audience stressed, right along with Delvey. Yet, the soundtrack felt extremely distracting. At times, the music made sense with the scene so it was understandable, other times, the music was so overpowering, I was taken out of the scene completely. I do think this was a choice made to appeal to younger generations, but even being in the age range of that target audience, I found it distracting and unnecessary. Overall, the show was captivating, and I would recommend it.