Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Kim Jin-min, Netflix’s ‘The Art of Sarah,’ or ‘Lady Dior,’ is a Korean psychological thriller that follows a con artist’s journey from rise to fall. When an infamously reclusive fashion mogul is found dead inside a local drain, Detective Park finds himself faced with a heap of mismatching clues. As it turns out, the entity known as Sarah Kim never really existed, and may be a result of a series of frauds that span years and millions. However, each attempt at getting close to the truth only obscures things for Park and company, suggesting that Sarah’s bag of tricks may be far from bottoming out. In bringing this knotty mystery to life, the series takes on a matryoshka doll-like structure, with every layer opening into a world of its own.
The Art of Sarah is a Story of Truth and Lies Created From Scratch
‘The Art of Sarah’ is a fictional story penned by Chu Song-yeon, with no direct connections to any similar incidents in real life. While that may be the case, the story’s focus on the world of fashion and luxury is rooted in a sense of realism and sparks an inquiry into the larger fabric of society itself. While a portion of the show is dedicated to the identity-oriented mind games initiated by Sarah Kim, a commentary on elitism also continuously runs in the background. However, the main plot surrounding Sarah herself does not appear to be explicitly based on any real-life incident.
It is likely that the creators of the show drew from real research into the luxury industry, channeling its manner of functioning onto the screen. For director Kim Jin-min, the primary draw of the show was its unconventional narrative structure, which deftly weaves in elements of realism to a story that is essentially a clash of several psychologies. While talking to The Korea Times, he also credited the actors on board with refining the story and shaping much of his directorial approach.
The Art of Sarah is Reminiscent of a Real-Life Con Artist Case
One possible real-life parallel to ‘The Art of Sarah’ that may have partially informed the story can be found in the case of Anna Sorokin, who from 2013 to 2017 posed as a wealthy German heiress in New York. Initially arriving in Manhattan to attend the New York Fashion Week, Sorokin adopted the name of Anna Delvey and quickly began making connections in the art and fashion scene. Her cons included obtaining loans worth millions of dollars with the help of fake documentation, cashing in doctored cheques, and lying to others to pay her expenses. Sorokin was arrested in October of 2017 via a sting operation, and two years later, on April 25, 2019, she was found guilty on eight charges, including grand larceny.
While there are a number of superficial overlaps between the story of Sarah Kim and the real-life incident surrounding Anna Sorokin, it is unlikely that the latter was an active reference point for the former. Instead, it is more probable that the writing team was inspired by a number of real-life cases and incorporated that sense of realism throughout the narrative. Another subject the show touches on is the luxury replica industry, which involves creating fake duplicates of high-value items. As per reports, the illicit global market of fake luxury products is valued at over 500 billion dollars annually, and through its invented story, ‘The Art of Sarah’ pulls back the curtain on its inner workings.
For actor Shin Hye-sun, who plays Sarah in the show, the character’s defining feature is her ability to don several masks at once. In a conversation with The Korea Times, Hye-sun revealed that her interest in the ending of the show is what drove her to take the role in the first place. For actor Lee Jun-hyuk, who plays Detective Park Mu-gyeong, the production was stressful at times, but it only helped him get into his character’s shoes more comfortably. The two actors’ synergy on-screen was also key to making the story as immersive as it is, despite being fictional in its nature.
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