Review of Apple Cider Vinegar

For those of you who stumbled upon this website through the mysterious magical powers of the Internet, welcome! My name is Ashley, and I started this website to keep track of and archive all of the kinds of movies, books, and television shows I’ve come across in the years.

I used to work as a professional film and television critic at an online outlet, but because I wasn’t focusing on the kinds of films I wanted to, I eventually left that job behind and went to work on my own thing. That’s how I ended up focusing on this blog a bit more, then I temporarily entered an unemployed blip that was unexpected, so I had even more time to write about the movies I’ve seen while I was job hunting.

Because I am currently what I dub as funemployed, I’m not only catching up on the shows that I’ve been meaning to watch for the longest time, but I also am watching a bunch of new shows that I don’t think I would have the time for before. As someone who studied media and likes to see it as a reflection of the world, this is a much-needed break from the regular 9-5 grind.

That said, Apple Cider Vinegar was something I missed when it was first being promoted. I had no idea this show was coming out, and then it did. I didn’t pay attention the day of its release, but when I saw that some people I were following were posting about it, I knew I was interested in watching the show.

It took me a few days, as I thought the pacing was a bit off (that’s a spoiler for my review), but I did end up finishing it! And boy do I have some thoughts.

Let’s get into the review!

A young woman pretending she has cancer, and goes viral for it, promotes alternative treatments.

Before we dive into the meat of the show’s plot and its nefarious protagonist, it’s important to note that this is based on a true story. Belle Gibson did exist in Australia, and she was a famous wellness person in the region. The second main character, Milla, is based on Jessica Ainscough, who did actually have cancer and passed away from it.

From the beginning of the first episode, we get the sense that Belle Gibson is someone who doesn’t really seem ashamed to lie about certain aspects of her life. As she goes to return a dress at a store, she claims that her mother is dying of cancer, and the salesgirl believes her and takes back the dress even though she shouldn’t have.

We know from Belle’s reaction (she even curses the girl under her breath for giving her the sale discount refund and not the regular price) that she’s lying. At the same time, we meet Milla, who has been told she has cancer, and may need to do an invasive surgery and even potentially get an amputation because of how serious her condition is.

We toggle between past and present; this story is told very much in a nonlinear format. Chanelle, who works for Belle, wants to go to journalists and expose her for lying about having cancer. After we get that little bit in the present moment, we see how Belle started concocting her empire of promoting alternative medicine for money—she pretty much was an influencer who ran an app and created her own cookbook.

In the past, Milla decides to pursue alternative methods, after searching online to see what exists there out in the world, she declines having surgery/an amputation. This puts her on a crash collision course with meeting Belle on the alternative wellness retreats and circuits, even causing Milla to remark that Belle looks remarkably healthy for someone who

The tag line for all of this is that a woman pretends to have brain cancer, becomes an influencer famous for having said cancer and promoting healthy eating and whatnot as a method for curing it. This is definitely a mirror for the real world, as believe what we want to believe, even if the narrative being presented in front of us isn’t legitimate at all.

Influencers especially are people who can be predatory; you should question what you see online, especially when someone is trying to get paid to present what they say is their opinion. Once money comes into the equation, people often lose a layer of authenticity immediately.

What interests me as well is that I’ve never actually seen an Australian television show, and the fact this one blew up on Netflix is fascinating to me. It shows that these are contemporary issues, and it’s not unique to Australia (even thought his case specifically was).

Overall Thoughts

I found this to be quite the interesting show in the end. I’m not tuned into Australian media in general, and as I mentioned before, I had never seen an Australian show before. I could see the issues and problems presented in this show happening anywhere in the Western world, and even beyond with the increasing access to social media.

At the same time, wellness and healthcare can be predatory as a whole. I know some people personally who are over invested in the idea of eating clean to the point where they’ll buy special products that might be the food or cleaning equivalent of greenwashing. Even the retreats depicted on the show are a money dump designed to extract profit.

Beyond the actual story, the editing in this show was another area of interest. The nonlinear format moves really quickly, but this is also mimicking how quickly Belle moved and made her little empire. The lead actress does such a good job in her role, and I recognized her immediately from Dear Evan Hansen and Booksmart—two roles she was also good at.

Go watch this one if you’re interested! I found it quite worth the wild journey we went on throughout each episode.

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