“Apple Cider Vinegar” Review: Kaitlyn Dever Shines in Netflix’s Dark Dive Into Wellness Scams and Social Media Deception

Introduction: A Cautionary Tale for the Instagram Age

In an era where influencers wield unprecedented power and pseudoscience thrives on social media, Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar (2025) offers a gripping, if uneven, exploration of one of Australia’s most infamous frauds. The six-part limited series chronicles the rise and fall of Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), a wellness guru who built an empire on the lie that she cured terminal brain cancer through diet and holistic remedies. Based on the real-life scandal detailed in The Woman Who Fooled the World, the series blends true crime, drama, and biting social commentary—but does it rise above the crowded scammer-docudrama genre?

Plot & Structure: A Web of Lies, Told in Fragments

Apple Cider Vinegar oscillates between timelines, jumping from Belle’s 2015 downfall—where she hires a crisis manager (Phoenix Raei) to salvage her reputation—to her early days as a struggling young mother fabricating illnesses for sympathy. Parallel threads follow Milla Blake (Alycia Debnam-Carey), a blogger battling real cancer with unproven therapies, and Lucy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), a cancer patient swayed by Belle’s dangerous advice.

Strengths:

• Dual Narratives: The contrast between Belle’s fabricated reality and Milla’s genuine struggle adds depth, highlighting how both women exploit wellness culture for validation.
• Victim-Centric Focus: Scenes with Lucy and her skeptical husband Justin (Mark Coles Smith) ground the story in real-world consequences, showing how pseudoscience endangers lives.

Weaknesses:

• Confusing Chronology: The non-linear structure, with abrupt jumps between 2009, 2013, and 2015, often feels disjointed. Critics note that rewinding is necessary to track characters like Milla and Lucy.
• Overstuffed Perspectives: With six episodes and multiple protagonists, the series struggles to balance its threads, diluting emotional impact.

Performances: Kaitlyn Dever’s Magnetic Villainy

Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Unbelievable) delivers a career-defining performance as Belle, masterfully oscillating between vulnerability and manipulation. Her portrayal avoids caricature, instead painting Belle as a product of systemic failures: a neglected daughter craving love, a narcissist addicted to online validation, and a shrewd entrepreneur weaponizing empathy.

Standout Moments:

• Breakdowns & Lies: Dever’s raw intensity shines in scenes where Belle fabricates medical crises, her face contorting between tears and calculated smirks.
• Fourth-Wall Manipulation: Direct addresses to the camera, à la Fleabag, underscore Belle’s performative persona, blurring the line between confession and con.

Supporting Cast:

• Alycia Debnam-Carey (Fear the Walking Dead) brings quiet desperation to Milla, whose belief in alternative treatments mirrors Belle’s deceit but stems from genuine fear 811.
• Aisha Dee (The Bold Type) steals scenes as Chanelle, Milla’s friend-turned-whistleblower, embodying moral outrage without preachiness.

Themes: Wellness Culture Under the Microscope

Apple Cider Vinegar excels in critiquing the dark underbelly of the wellness industry:

1. The Commodification of Hope: Belle’s app The Whole Pantry and Milla’s juice cleanses prey on desperation, turning health into a transactional commodity.
2. Social Media’s Role: The series visualizes Instagram’s influence through emojis flooding screens—a metaphor for how validation addicts like Belle prioritize likes over lives.
3. Medical Mistrust: Lucy’s rejection of chemotherapy reflects broader societal skepticism toward traditional medicine, exacerbated by dismissive doctors and glossy influencer alternatives.

Missed Opportunities:
While the show indicts Belle and the media that enabled her, it stops short of probing systemic issues like gendered healthcare neglect or Instagram’s algorithmic culpability.

Production & Tone: Style Over Substance?

• Aesthetic Choices: The series’ Instagram-era visuals—vibrant filters, cluttered influencer apartments—immerse viewers in Belle’s curated world. However, critics argue the “gem-toned slush” palette feels overly familiar for Netflix dramas.
• Pacing Issues: The first three episodes drag with repetitive lies, while the final act rushes through Belle’s unraveling. A tighter edit could have heightened tension.

Comparisons to Similar Series

• Inventing Anna: Both explore female fraudsters, but Apple Cider Vinegar avoids glamorizing Belle, instead focusing on her victims.
• The Dropout: While Elizabeth Holmes’ story benefits from a linear narrative, Vinegar’s fragmented structure weakens its impact.
• Scamanda: This documentary counterpart offers a sharper victim-focused lens but lacks Vinegar’s star power.

Final Verdict: Stream It or Skip It?

Stream It If:

• You’re fascinated by true crime or influencer culture.
• Kaitlyn Dever’s performance is a must-see, blending nuance with ferocity.
• You appreciate critiques of wellness scams and social media’s dangers.

Skip It If:

• Non-linear storytelling frustrates you.
• You’ve exhausted the scammer-docudrama genre and crave fresh insights

Rating: 3.5/5 – A flawed but compelling dissection of lies, anchored by Dever’s brilliance.