Fielder’s Holmes Doc Revolutionizes the Format
Thirty days before Elizabeth Holmes is set to begin her eleven-year prison sentence, disgraced founder of Theranos invited documentarians Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim into her home, granting them unrestricted access to their subject. What unfolded was not just an access to a famous case, but an invitation to explore the very nature of truth and perception.
The resulting film, You Can See Everything, quickly shattered expectations for the traditional documentary format. It is less a simple investigation into guilt and more a deeply meta-narrative that plays with cinematic structure, forcing the audience to question the very reality of what they are watching.
While the public focus fixates on whether Holmes is a sociopath or deserves punishment, Fielder and Oppenheim pivot to a more fascinating question: Why can Elizabeth Holmes seem incapable of admitting that the technology that propelled her to billionaire status was a deliberate lie? Holmes maintains that she has never knowingly told a lie, a statement that creates an immediate, frustrating tension for the filmmakers.
This philosophical wrestling is vividly illustrated through the film’s deliberately strange approach. Fielder uses unconventional methods to examine Holmes’s way of processing information, often leading to moments of surreal and uncomfortable humor. When Holmes reacts with confusion to simple jokes, or when the dynamic with her controlling partner, Billy Evans, becomes the focus, the film shifts from a straightforward exposé into a complex study of human deception and power.
The narrative deepens as the focus moves beyond Holmes to her relationships. The portrayal of her complex relationship with her partner, Evans, is sharp and revealing, exposing the controlling dynamics that underpin her rise. Evans acts as a kind of mouthpiece, justifying his relationship with Holmes by claiming intimate knowledge, adding another layer of complexity to the story that goes far beyond the initial allegations of fraud.
The film’s structure itself is a masterstroke. While the first act establishes the central mystery, the narrative doesn’t end there. In a truly boundary-pushing move, the second half introduces an unexpected third-party perspective that challenges the established conclusions, blurring the line between fact and fiction in a way that keeps the audience actively engaged.
It is this relentless refusal to offer easy answers that makes You Can See Everything a monumental achievement. It is a powerful depiction of a story that has already been told countless times across books, television, and articles, yet it refuses to simply reiterate the known. Instead, it wrestles with an enigma, answering questions with further questions, solidifying its place as one of the most talked-about and essential films of the year.
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