NEW YORK — We’ve got three words for Nathan Fielder’s new documentary: Believe the hype.
“You Can See Everything” (in select theaters Oct. 16) instantly became one of the year’s most highly anticipated movies after its now-viral first teaser and surprise screening at Telluride Film Festival last month.
That rabid excitement spilled into Alice Tully Hall late Sept. 30, where the gonzo doc bowed at the New York Film Festival with countless scalpers and standby ticket hopefuls swarming Lincoln Center for a chance to get inside.
Why the breathless fanfare? For starters, “You Can See Everything” is an unprecedented peek behind the curtain of enigmatic Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who was convicted of fraud in 2022 for lying to investors about
the capabilities of her blood-testing device. The former Silicon Valley wunderkind was sentenced to 11 years in prison, although she is now scheduled for release in 2030.
The film follows Fielder and his documentary crew as they spend 34 days with Holmes, her husband Billy Evans, and their two young kids at a beachside rental home outside San Diego before she surrenders to prison.
In his signature awkward fashion, Fielder attempts to probe Holmes about whether she intentionally deceived financiers about Theranos technology, which she and Evans say they plan to perfect and relaunch – albeit under a different name – after she completes her sentence.
At one point, Fielder asks Holmes point blank whether she’s ever lied about anything in her life.
“I don’t think so,” Holmes says, with her usual half-grin and unblinking stare.
“Liz, what?!” Fielder replies exasperatedly. Pressed, she only fesses up to telling a white lie or two in order to get out of plans with friends.
Later, Holmes and Evans try to explain the ins and outs of the Theranos device, although Fielder can't make heads or tails of what they're trying to say. He repeatedly asks Holmes to clarify how the tech works, but never gets a clear answer. “I’m a bad communicator. I don’t know a lot of words,” he dryly tells Holmes. “Is that what you’re like?”
As Fielder’s fans can probably guess, his interactions with Holmes are only a small part of “You Can See Everything.” The film takes a shockingly surreal turn as soon as she goes to prison, and Fielder finds inventive new avenues to continue the story even as access to Holmes is more limited.
In short: The movie is true to Fielder’s work on HBO’s “The Rehearsal” and Comedy Central’s “Nathan For You,” in his desire to play with artifice and performance, and continually unfurl meta new levels of narrative.
He doggedly endeavors to understand — for himself, and the audience — why Holmes would agree to make this documentary in the first place. Whatever her reasons, it makes her that much more fascinating.
At a post-screening Q&A, Fielder and co-director Lance Oppenheim (“Primetime”) requested that the audience not record their conversation, so as not to ruin the film for future moviegoers. That said, they did reveal that neither Holmes or Evans have watched the documentary, and that it’s been “a little bit” since they’ve spoken to either of them, after communication fell through with Evans at the tail end of filming.
Already, some Oscar pundits are predicting that “You Can See Everything” could make history as the first documentary nominated for the best picture Oscar. (All we’ll say is: The film could show up in other categories.)
After the premiere, guests gathered at the historic Waverly Inn tavern in the West Village, where they noshed on steak, veggie skewers and mini-grilled cheeses. Fielder held court by the bar holding a flute of champagne, while “Tony” star Dominic Sessa made the rounds with an espresso martini in hand.
The doc’s distributor, A24, has a jam-packed awards slate this season between Julianne Moore vehicle “The Debut,” Chris Rock’s “Misty Green” and Jordan Firstman’s “Club Kid,” the latter of which plays New York Film Festival Oct. 3.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes doc is the wildest movie in years
