In Apple Cider Vinegar, Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever) convinces the world she has terminal brain cancer. In reality, she’s never been diagnosed with the illness. 

In the series, Belle amasses millions of Instagram followers, develops an app and writes a book sharing her journey to being cancer free through health and wellness. But how did she get away with lying to the world? Apple Cider Vinegar — streaming now — explores how girlboss culture, the wellness craze, the birth of Instagram, and the tech boom were the perfect recipe for Belle’s success — but others’ demise. 

“At that time during 2010, social media and this kind of exploitation of wellness, and the way you looked and what you were supposed to be, there was no boundaries,” says Alycia Debnam-Carey, who plays Milla Blake in the series.

Adds director and co-executive producer Jeffrey Walker, “It was early influencer, early Instagram — that idea that you could put something out in the world, and that amount of love and support that you’d get fed back that just hadn’t existed in any form prior to that.”

Watch the video above to see how Belle Gibson’s dangerous con came together at a very specific moment in time.