Elizabeth Holmes documentary opens as reviewers debate its approach to truth
In short
You Can See Everything, a documentary by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, is in theaters from October 15, according to IGN. Reviews praise its approach to truth and performance, while TIME questions claims that it is groundbreaking.
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You Can See Everything, a documentary directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, is in theaters from October 15, according to IGN. The outlet describes a running time of nearly three hours. Reviews published from October 13 to October 16 focus on the filmmakers' access to Holmes and on questions about truth, performance and the documentary form. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
The Seattle Times says the film's first part follows Fielder with Holmes and Billy Evans at their rented California beach house as they care for their two young children and prepare for her departure to prison. IGN places the home in San Diego and says the filmmakers had access for about a month before her sentence began in 2023. TIME says the first half chronicles the 34 days before her incarceration. TechCrunch and TIME report that Holmes and Evans approached A24 about making a documentary. [ 1 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
The Seattle Times calls the film fascinating and says Holmes repeatedly tells Fielder she committed no crime and never tried to deceive anyone. The Boston Globe praises a shift in concept and execution in the second half without describing it in detail. The New York Times summary describes a film about truth, reality and knowledge. TechCrunch focuses on Fielder's exchanges with Holmes, including his comparison between his television work about a business scam and her legal troubles. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]
TIME takes a more skeptical view of praise for the film as a groundbreaking documentary following its Telluride Film Festival debut. Its commentary argues that documentary filmmakers cannot be purely objective. The accounts also contain factual discrepancies: The Seattle Times gives 2022 as the year of Holmes's conviction, while TIME gives 2018. Outlets variously describe Evans as her partner, fiancé or husband. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The film gives viewers access to Holmes's home life before she began her prison sentence in 2023. Reviewers use it to examine self-presentation and the role of filmmakers in shaping documentary accounts.
Key facts
- Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim directed You Can See Everything. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
- IGN gives October 15 as the theatrical release date and describes a running time of nearly three hours. [ 4 ]
- The film follows Holmes at home with Billy Evans before her prison sentence began in 2023. [ 1 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- TechCrunch and TIME report that Holmes and Evans approached A24 about a documentary. [ 7 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The documents give different years for Holmes's conviction. The Seattle Times says 2022, while TIME says 2018.
- The documents describe Billy Evans's relationship with Holmes differently. He is called her partner by The Seattle Times and TIME, her fiancé by The Boston Globe, and her husband by IGN and TechCrunch.