‘You Can See Everything’: A Monumental, Groundbreaking Masterpiece
For decades, documentaries have sought to uncover the truth about people, history, inventions, and ideas, among other subjects. There is inherent credibility in the genre, as most documentarians provide a window for the viewer to see things that actually happened, or to at least hear stories about them from people who were there. However, not all documentaries are accurate, as sensationalism, biases, and misinformation can twist the truth and leave viewers with a distorted view of the film’s subject. It seems that the goal of most documentaries is to provide a definitive opinion on whatever they are covering, but I find that the best documentaries tend to leave things a little more open and allow the audience to form their own perspective.
This is one of the many things I love about Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s You Can See Everything. The film centers on Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the company Theranos who was later found guilty of fraud. Given her reputation, one would assume that any documentary about her would lean more into the true crime aspect of her story, but Fielder and Oppenheim take a vastly different approach. What begins as an account of Holmes’s last days before her prison sentence begins eventually becomes something far greater, as the film questions her psyche and gradually reveals itself to be a deep examination on the line between truth and lies. Told in a way that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, You Can See Everything is an innovative, shocking, and downright miraculous film that will leave you speechless.
As previously mentioned, the film begins 34 days before Elizabeth Holmes is to report to prison. Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, have invited Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim to document this time and to stay in their home. The crew is given extensive access to Holmes and Evans’s life, but they are both rather withholding when it comes to some of the questions that Fielder asks. Fielder begins to dig deeper, trying to find out who Holmes really is and what her true intentions are. This leads to a mind-melting journey that takes several unexpected turns and poses several questions in the process.
It is really difficult to discuss this film without getting into spoilers, which I generally avoid doing in any of my reviews. But if I did that for this review, it would basically just be me saying “GO SEE THIS MOVIE.” and not much else. I will say that I do think everyone should go see this film, as I’ve never seen anything like it and it is well worth seeing in theatres (preferably in a packed house). So that said, I will be getting into spoilers beyond this point, so if you haven’t seen You Can See Everything yet and don’t want to be spoiled, stop here and come back to this review later.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
When I saw the teaser for this film, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve been a fan of Nathan Fielder for a long time, and I am pretty much sat for anything he’s involved in. His work is so innovative and unpredictable, so the fact that he co-directed and is prominently featured in a documentary about Elizabeth Holmes is somehow both surprising and incredibly on brand. The project has been shrouded in secrecy up until its release, so walking into this I had no clue what to expect beyond what little A24 had revealed in the marketing. At first, the film was not too far off from what I assumed the film might be: The crew captures an intimate look at Holmes and Evans’s lives, Fielder interviews them and is his usual awkward self, and we get a strange blend of documentary filmmaking and comedy. But once Holmes reports to prison, the film changes and there was no way I could have predicted where it went from there.
The first section makes you question if the media’s perception of Elizabeth Holmes is accurate, while the rest of the film makes you question everything when it comes to her. During that first section, we see a version of Holmes that suggests that she might not be as devious as she seems. She comes across as awkward and someone who struggles with communication, but she doesn’t seem particularly dishonest. As the rest of the film goes on, who Holmes truly is becomes even harder to define. Could she really be a better person than her reputation suggests? Or is she a puppetmaster who is great at getting people to do what she wants?
The magic of You Can See Everything is that we truly don’t get an answer to either question. It is left for the viewer to decide and form their own perspective. I feel that this keeps the film from feeling too objective and speaks to the larger idea of never truly knowing who a person is. We only have our emotions and our thoughts to determine who we think a person is, but this version might contain inaccuracies. It also touches on the idea of reality, and how some people live in realities they make for themselves. That certainly seems to be the case with Holmes, as she lives in a reality of her own design. In her world, she is not guilty, just misunderstood. She manipulates others (intentionally or unintentionally) because she knows it’s how she can get what she wants. She claims to be “real” but she has such an artifice around her. It is tragic, but at the same time it is so fascinating to consider and explore. And the thing is, that’s just my own conclusions I’ve made. Other viewers might take away something completely different because the film can be viewed in various ways. The film is called You Can See Everything, which is technically true, but it doesn’t provide any shocking revelations or anything like that. Instead, it is up to the viewer to form their own perception of Holmes, which is far more powerful than something more cut and dry.
But beyond the subject matter, the film is impressive due to how inventive it is. Even the more “conventional” aspects of the film feel singular due to the film’s cinematography and editing. Both give the film such a unique feel and enhance it significantly. But not only that, the film gets creative in showing certain moments that either weren’t filmed or couldn’t be filmed that are essential to the overall story. This comes in the form of reenactments, which feature none other than Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes. This is significant because 1. Seyfried famously played Holmes in the Hulu limited series, The Dropout, and 2. This was kept entirely secret in the film’s marketing. When Seyfried first showed up, I was stunned but thought she was going to be in it for one scene and that’s that. However, she ends up being an integral part of the film, as she not only portrays Holmes in the reenactments, but she provides a more clearheaded view of Holmes and her relationship with Billy Evans. She is easily one of the best things about the film, and helps take it to a whole other level.
I could go on and on about all the things that blew me away with You Can See Everything. It is a film with so many layers and so much to say that it is guaranteed to be discussed for years to come. Not only is it likely to be the best documentary of the year, it just might be the best film of the year, period. Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim have delivered a groundbreaking work of filmmaking: a documentary that understands that it is impossible to fully capture the truth on film. So instead of trying to make a definitive statement on Elizabeth Holmes, it does something even better by allowing the viewer to sit in the uncertainty and form their own perspective. It is truly monumental, and a truly unforgettable experience.
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