Bad Vegan review: Netflix’s latest true crime documentary makes for a tasty but trashy binge

But the 30 Rock star wasn’t the only celebrity that Sarma hobnobbed with when she became the pioneer of raw vegan food. Her NYC restaurant was a hotspot for the rich and the famous, with a guest list that included the likes of Owen Wilson, Tom Brady and even a former President. But it was through Baldwin that Sarma met Anthony Strangis.

The fact that he didn’t look at all like his social media photos was perhaps the first, and in hindsight, the flimsiest red flag about him. He claimed that he was a black ops agent, and would periodically go off the grid for days at a time. But we’ve seen this movie before, haven’t we? We’ve seen The Tinder Swindler; we’ve listened to the Dear John podcast. Just last month, we even read about the Odiya uncle who married 14 women in seven states. We know what happens next: the guy plays an elaborate confidence trick, and slowly starts milking the mark for money. And that’s exactly what Anthony did a few months into his ‘relationship’ with Sarma. But that’s where it gets weird.

Anthony fed her some mumbo jumbo about reincarnation and becoming immortal, and convinced her that her business and debts are meaningless. She is meant to be the ‘queen’ of a mystical house to which Anthony belongs, he told her. And to become a member, she must undergo a ‘physical transformation’ and participate in ‘cosmic endurance tests’ that Sarma later realised mimicked the plot of the Marvel movie Thor.

It’s fitting that when the final credits roll, director Chris Smith (Fyre, Tiger King) chooses to play Cat Stevens’ Wild World. It really is a wild world out there, and what’s most stunning, especially if you’re on the outside looking in, is how easy it is to be taken for a ride. Unlike the recent The Tinder Swindler, which (correctly) never blamed the victims—that’s the importance of having a woman director’s gaze—Bad Vegan, in its final episode, turns the tables on Sarma. She believed that appearing on the series might absolve her of the role that she played in all this, but the show had other plans.

Sarma, we’re told, funnelled money from her business into Anthony’s account. Over the course of their relationship, she gave him nearly $2 million, and watched as her flourishing enterprise crumbled before her eyes. She was sued by her employees, her investors, and everyone in between. And when the going got tough, she chose to run away with Anthony. On the lam from authorities, the former vegan princess was arrested after placing an order for, of all things, a Dominos pizza.

Whenever Sarma’s asked (appropriately) why she never raised the alarm, or why she ignored her friends’ warnings about Anthony, she deflects. And although the numerous voice recordings (and some video) that the series uses to punctuate the voices of several talking heads paint a rather damning picture of how Anthony manipulated her, Bad Vegan presents a theory in episode four—via others, of course—that essentially throws Sarma under the bus.

While some would no doubt still believe that Sarma was brainwashed by Anthony’s cult-leader ramblings, there are others that are sure that they were on some sort of Bonnie and Clyde rampage. But regardless of her motivations, the show does highlight a couple of cultural truths that will be of great interest to a non-white audience. For instance, stories such as this always have an element of white guilt. Sarma is often described as a ‘generous’ soul; one of her closest friends is a man she met on the streets. And it is almost a given that the family will not interfere. If this had happened here, you’d have an army of relatives on your side. As if to prove this theory, it is revealed that Anthony was conning Sarma’s mother on the side as well. Come to think of it, asking us to empathise with these folks would’ve been one heck of a bridge to cross.

Unlike a lot of these true crime documentaries, Bad Vegan doesn’t give you a uncomfortable tummy ache for enjoying it. Fittingly, it’s guilt-free, ethical entertainment.

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
Director – Chris Smith
Rating – 4/5