Everyone tells lies, but how far are you willing to go? 

This question is the premise of Netflix’s new docuseries Inventing Anna. The nine-part series follows the story of Anna Sorokin, who was able to scam New York’s luxury businesses and society out of more than $200,000. The events on the show took place through 2017, and also follow the article Jessica Pressler wrote for New York Magazine. 

Sorokin moved to New York in 2016, under the alias Anna Delvey. Posing as a rich German heiress, she quickly started to connect with millionaires and integrated herself into the world of the top 1%. With dreams of starting a Soho House-esque art foundation, she came close to scamming Wall Street banks like City National and Fortress for more than $30 million. She was able to float through the world, leaving a trail of unpaid checks and fake wire transfers in her wake. Sorokin was recently released from jail after serving almost four years of her sentence. She is currently in ICE custody, waiting for news on her deportation. 

She was charged by the New York District Attorney’s Office with 10 counts, all of them varying degrees of larceny and theft of services. She was convicted on eight charges, including second-degree grand larceny, theft of services and attempted grand larceny. 

Prior to watching “Inventing Anna,’ I knew nothing more than small details I had seen on social media. The first episode immediately drew my attention, and I finished the whole series in two days. Throughout each episode, they tell the story of Anna and the different cons she pulled on hotels and the people around her. 

The show also follows journalist Vivian Kent,a writer at a magazine who stands up to her bosses and pushes for the opportunity to cover Sorokin’s story. She is granted the chance, with one caveat: she must finish her article before she goes on maternity leave. As Kent travels all over New York City to find people willing to talk about Sorokin for her article, the viewer slowly finds out bits and pieces about Sorokin’s impact on the city. 

The show takes us through the stories of Anna’s boyfriend, acquaintances, best friends and stylists. By framing each episode as a flashback to a key part of her criminal activity, each episode seems brand new and unrepetitive. The season finishes with a bang as the last episodes recall a disastrous trip to Marrakesh, Morocco, where she left her friend to foot a $62,000 dollar. The final episode then covers her trial and sentencing and wraps up the storylines of each side character. The end is satisfying, with no loose ends left to wonder about. 

Another major plotline throughout the series follows Sorokin’s lawyer, Todd Spodek, and Kent, the journalist. The show gives the viewer a look into their personal lives, and how Sorokin has taken them over. By representing Spodek’s marriage troubles, and Kent’s denial about having a child before her article is published, it gives these characters layers and provides some realism. By showing how they were so easily fascinated by Sorokin, it provides insight into how Sorokin was able to trick as many people as she did. 

Overall, “Inventing Anna” is definitely worth your time. There was never a point throughout the show where I felt like doing something else or turning it off. If you’re looking for something to binge on Netflix, this is the show for you.