I knew a compulsive liar in high school. She would constantly lie about the most inane stuff. People wondered what the point of her lies was. I never really brought it up with her and would let her yarn on, telling myself that it was mostly harmless and that she must do it for some deeper reason—perhaps not enough attention at home? I sympathised with her, arguably even enabled her, until the lies started to get more serious. After I confronted her, the lies became about me.
Through this, I learnt not to disregard small fires, because before you know it, they can burn down your house.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Samantha Strauss’ new Australian miniseries produced by See-Saw Films/Picking Scabs, explores the true story of Belle Gibson, the Melbourne influencer and compulsive liar who faked brain cancer to build her brand—an app and cookbook that perpetuated the idea that cancer could be fought through healthy eating. She also falsely claimed that all proceeds from purchases would go to charity organizations. Instead, she kept all the proceeds to fund her new lavish lifestyle.
Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the best series to come out of Australia in a long time. On a surface level, this show is loud, funny, girly, and easily digestible, but beyond that, it explores the psyche and manipulation tactics of a very complex individual. It challenges narrative conventions through non-linearity and fourth-wall breaking, and it exposes the symptoms of some very real issues within our society—how post-capitalist industrial greed and misinformation can kill.
Throughout the series, Belle’s upbringing is explored: her loneliness, desperation to be loved, her neglectful mother, absent father, and possible sexual abuse at the age of 13. We can’t help but feel for her and want the best for her. We admire her grit and determination to succeed in spite of everything she’s gone through, and even the steadfastness with which she holds to her lie. At the same time, through the life-risking consequences of her cancer-curing claims, her false promises of charity, and the neglect and emotional abuse she directs towards her son and partner, her insincerity and calculated nature are revealed. Apple Cider Vinegar keeps its audience stuck tightroping between abhorrence and compassion.
Perhaps it is hard to fully condemn Belle because her victims are so suggestible. One might struggle to understand how anyone could possibly believe chia seeds, alfalfa burgers, and green juices could cure malignant cancer. But Apple Cider Vinegar pushes us to understand, hope for, and even buy into these promises. We can’t help but cheer for cancer patient Milla as she turns down doctors' suggestions of surgery and chemo, and instead opts for alternative medicine, even though logically we understand she is digging her own grave.
The show also offers some valid explanations into these characters' misguided beliefs. In a post-capitalist society, it is difficult to trust the government and medical institutions to prioritize wellness over profit. This train of thought can lead people to believing institutions hide the ‘real cure’ to keep people trapped in their costly system.
Additionally, we have entered a new age of technology in which unlimited information is at our fingertips. It is somewhat ironic that this has produced such a strong ethos of anti-intellectualism, but it makes sense. When you are presented with a million different perspectives, with a million possible truths, how are you to distinguish what’s real? In this world, fantasies have become possible truths, and objective truth has become a fantasy.
One criticism I have is that I found the ending somewhat abrupt and unsatisfying. After Belle is found out, her book is cancelled, and an exposé about her is published in The Age. Belle escapes to California with her family and confesses her lies. While this isn’t insignificant, the consequences she faces still feel unbalanced relative to the severity of her actions. I understand that the story can only be dramatized so much to maintain the integrity of the true story, which is one of the downfalls of life story adaptations. Nonetheless, I felt it would have been more satisfying for the audience to see more of Belle’s downfall, perhaps a deeper exploration of her legal consequences, or emotional unraveling. We almost get a text sequence detailing her hefty charges, only for Belle to break the fourth wall, covering the screen and telling us to Google it instead. Though subversive, I did find this choice somewhat clever, as if Belle is still controlling the narrative.
In the end, I’m left wondering how Belle let it go so far. Did she truly believe her lies, or was she just unable to stop herself once she had started? Was it all her fault or was she, like my friend, a victim of “not enough attention at home”? I can’t help but wonder where that old friend is now, and despite the vitriol of some of her lies, I can’t help but hope she is okay, and that she managed to put out some of her fires. I hope she hasn’t, like Belle, found home in her lies, and let everything burn around her, content with the toxic asphyxiation.