Released on Feb. 6, 2025, Netflix’s “Apple Cider Vinegar” tells the story of Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), a convicted scammer. Gibson is known for defrauding people out of money after pretending to have multiple cancers, including liver, spleen, kidney and the biggest one: brain cancer. Furthermore, she also lied about healing herself through “natural remedies,” requiring no chemotherapy.
Inspired by the investigative book, “The Woman Who Fooled The World,” written by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, Program Creator Samantha Strauss puts a heavy emphasis on the deeply personal narratives of Gibson’s victims. Some examples are characters like Lucy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and Hunter (Christian Fordham), as a sense of discomfort is invoked in the viewer through Gibson’s lies that start to slowly unravel over the span of the six-episode mini-series.
Initially, the pacing of the first three episodes was quite scattered as the timelines went back and forth between each character’s present time. They also often had flashbacks, making it hard to follow due to their fast-paced nature. However, as the episodes progressed, we see more personal stakes being added to the story, and each flashback starts playing a role in the overall premise of the show itself.
We see Gibson have a miscarriage, be shunned by the people around her and start killing her body by drinking heavy loads of alcohol and apple cider vinegar, even smoking in a few episodes. Her emotional turmoil makes you want to care for her character initially, but as you get to know her, this all changes.
The overall impact of social media is a huge theme seen throughout the show as feeds are showcased on the screen along with posts floating around to emphasize how addicted Belle had become to all the fame and attention she was receiving from being a “terminal brain cancer patient.” Her over-the-top nature and narcissistic behavior were intensely showcased through her fake sweet voices and phony smile, furthering Dever’s portrayal of Belle Gibson’s character and attempts to make it as realistic as possible.
Even the dialogues were delivered immaculately as Dever enunciated certain words to bring out Gibson’s Aussie accent, despite the actress herself being American. Also, giving each victim some screen time provided valuable context on the effects each person faced due to her actions, furthering the tension and increasing the stakes.
However, with songs like “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo and early 2000s music like “Toxic” by Britney Spears, the show tries to force the audience to connect with pop culture references, and at times, doesn’t connect to the scenes taking place while the songs play in the background. They also didn’t seem to fit the plot line, as the overall series had a more serious, uptight tone, which made the random dance sequences feel quite out of place. Even in general, there were some scenes that could have been cut without compromising the quality of the show.
The dialogue was delivered immaculately, and character development showcased throughout each episode was done in a steady manner as each character had close to equal amounts of screen time, which allowed their voices to be heard without shaking the storyline up immensely.
Overall, due to the inconsistencies with the pacing, unnecessary scene placements, and the constant pop culture references throughout the six-episode mini-series, some parts seemed to drag on. However, the acting skills that both Dever and Hervey displayed were captivating and truly moved the story forward in places where it was losing its appeal. I highly recommend this show for fans of “Inventing Anna” or other shows that dip into deception, betrayal and social media.
