Game variant - "As slippery as his anti-hero"
On Friday, February 11, the mini-series "Inventing Anna" was released on the Netflix streaming platform about Russian-born swindler Anna Sorokina (Delvi).
One of the directors of the project was David Frankel, known for the films The Devil Wears Prada, Marley and Me and Phantom Beauty, and also had a hand in the creation of the series Sex and the City.
The role of the fraudster in the new project went to Julia Garner ("Ozark").
The series is based on an article by journalist Jessica Pressler in New York Magazine.
In the pilot episode, viewers are introduced to Manhattan Magazine author Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), inspired by Pressler.
According to the plot, Kent, contrary to the instructions of his superiors, intends to write an article about Sorokina.
The action takes place in 2017: a fraudster was caught, extradited from Los Angeles to New York and is about to be charged.
Sorokina is taken into custody until the trial, and the journalist seeks several meetings with her.
Kent is pregnant but wants to build a career before the baby is born.
The heroine believes that the article will be sensational, and makes every effort to finish it.
The journalist has to regularly conflict with the leadership, which, in the end, agrees with her initiative, but drives the author into a narrow time frame.
The series does not claim to be accurate in detail - for example, the inscription on the screen before the first episode reads: "The whole story is completely true, with the exception of those details that are completely invented".
© Shot from the series "Inventing Anna"
Many foreign critics agree that the series "Inventing Anna" is too long - it includes nine episodes lasting from 58 minutes to an hour and a half.
Film Inquiry author Stephanie Archer found the film to be interesting overall, but according to the film critic, it's only in the third episode that it really captivates, when the plot focuses directly on Anna Delvey's story.
Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe felt that Vivian Kent received too much attention on the show.
As Caroline Framke (Variety) noted, the relationship between Kent and Delvey is reminiscent of the relationship between Clarissa and Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.
The Hollywood Reporter writer Angie Khan emphasizes that the events of the series cover two time periods.
In one, Vivian Kent learns for the first time about Anna, who posed as a wealthy heiress and became part of the Manhattan elite.
In the second, the journalist conducts an investigation.
The information she found is presented in the format of flashbacks - they are arranged mainly in chronological order and give an idea of the path of the main character.
According to some experts, the tape is interesting in its idea.
In addition to revealing a story based on real events, it encourages viewers to think about the structure of the world.
“Inventing Anna will not only make you think about the decisions and completely crazy search for yourself as a young 25-year-old girl, but also take a closer look at the system, arranged in such a way that only a select few achieve success.
In the end, the viewer will be left with the question of who is really pulling the strings,” writes Stephanie Archer of Film Inquiry.
The story of Delvi itself, according to experts, is also told quite fascinatingly.
The lack of a clear understanding of what is shown on the screen is the truth enhances the intrigue.
“With each episode, the tension grows, and the audience, as if on pins and needles, are waiting for what will be revealed at any moment whether the story of Anna Delvey was true or false.
And although each episode begins with the disclaimer “This whole story is completely true, except for those details that are completely made up,” the struggle between fact and fiction does not stop,” says Stephanie Archer.
She adds that the show says that for every three rumors about Anna Delvey, only one is true.
© Shot from the series "Inventing Anna"
However, “the more you try to unravel the contradictions (ribbons. -
RT
), the more hopeless they are tied into a knot,” says Caroline Framke.
In her opinion, the series would have been more coherent had it not been for the filmmakers' attempt to cram as many different perspectives of the character into it as possible.
“At the center of every story is, of course, Anna, but her role in them changes depending on who tells them.
For example, fashion stylist Val (James Kusati-Moyer) may remember Anna as a snow queen with impeccable taste, and hotel receptionist Neff (Alexis Floyd) describes her as a finicky but generous guest and friend,” writes Angie Hahn.
She notes that this approach demonstrates how strong the influence of the heroine was on others, but at the same time distracts from the main line.
According to Matthew Gilbert, the series does not fully reveal Delvi and does not give unequivocal answers regarding her motivation, proving to be "as slippery as his anti-hero".
“I’m not sure that the series – based on real events – will make it clear what made Anna go to crime, from a psychological point of view or in some other way,” the expert notes.
“No matter how hard the show tries to decipher her, or at least the cultural fascination with her, Anna Delvey remains a mystery both on and off the screen,” Caroline Framke echoes him.
Zhang Anzhe of Slant Magazine notes that the series is not primarily focused on Anna Delvey's crimes, but on members of the society in which the heroine rotates, and dignitaries who easily follow her lead.
Experts praise the cast of the picture.
Archer believes that some of the artists involved stand out in particular, but overall the entire cast works as one.
The critics especially liked Julia Garner.
At the same time, all experts mention the specific accent with which the actress speaks in the series - at first it is difficult to get used to it.
"Garner's accent - a mixture of German (where Anna grew up), Russian (where she was born), Gaelic (for reasons that defy logic) and, I swear, shades of the American South - is perhaps the defining element of Inventing Anna," explains Ben Travers of IndieWire.
“Garner is, no longer surprising, infinitely magnetic on screen.
She easily embodies Anna's unique charisma,” says Caroline Framke.
Another advantage of the series was the musical accompaniment, which Stephanie Archer compared with the soundtracks of the tapes "Bridgerton" and "Grey's Anatomy".
According to her, the music emphasizes the dynamics of each scene and the different elements of the tape - from the lifestyle of rich heroes to the character of the on-screen Anna Delvey.