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What happens when a college dropout and a graduate from one of Canada's top business schools (with really good grades) spend a month together before she goes to prison? That is what I thought I was going to be watching with Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's new documentary, "You Can See Everything." This film is going to be referred to as the Elizabeth Holmes documentary, but it's really about documentary filmmaking itself. As someone who has watched a lot of documentaries, this movie has me rethinking every single one of them.
With just over a month before she heads to prison for defrauding investors with regard to her company, Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, invite Nathan Fielder and his crew into their lives to document their days together. It makes sense, as lots of people want to get their side of the story out, especially when they feel like it has been misrepresented, as Holmes believed hers was, in the Hulu series "The Dropout." But why choose a comedian like Fielder to do this? They tell him it's because he sees the world differently than others, and she does, too.
The first half of "You Can See Everything" is a fairly standard documentary, if funnier than usual. We get a sense of the couple and how they interact. There are some weird vibes from Billy, and it seems like perhaps this film is more about him than it is about Elizabeth. However, there is a significant shift in the second half of the film that continually recontextualizes everything that we have seen, and everything we see from that point on.
If you have seen the trailer, or even just the movie poster, it's clear that cinematographer David Bolen is ready to give everyone their close-ups. There is a level of discomfort throughout "You Can See Everything" that is amplified by the way the subjects were filmed. An incredible score from Ari Balouzian adds to the unease. At one point, Fielder literally moves into their home, having access to the family 24-7. It really does feel like nothing is off the table.
And yet, we have at least two master manipulators on screen. Holmes was able to convince numerous investors that she was about to change medicine with her tech, only to have that proven to be a lie. Fielder has convinced people to go on a multi-day hike for a gas rebate amounting to just a few dollars on his show "Nathan for You." The more questions that are asked, the further away from the truth it feels.
Nathan Fielder's shows are rarely about what they purport to be about, but generally point to something else entirely, so there is little surprise that is the case with "You Can See Everything." The final five minutes of this three-hour documentary offer a truly remarkable commentary on how trustworthy any documentary, or "based on a true story" piece of media, can be. Holmes invites Fielder to see everything, and the title of the movie invites the audience to do the same. But rules can be broken, and we may all be blind to what that means. But you should absolutely go see for yourself.
Rating: 5/5
Alise Chaffins is a freelance and Tomatometer-approved film critic.