‘You Can See Everything’ is not about Theranos
“You Can See Everything” directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim is a documentary in the loosest sense of the word. Advertised as Fielder spending the last 34 days before her 11 year prison sentence with Elizabeth Holmes, of Theranos infamy, Fielder does exactly that. For the first half of the movie.
Fielder is a master of comedic timing and framing, so when there is a lingering presence of unfinished questions and a score that is accumulating tension, there was no question as to why the film picks up two years after we say goodbye to Holmes.
While the subject matter of the film is very much Elizabeth Holmes and the family she shares with husband Billy Evans, the story goes far beyond that. At the simplest level, we as an audience see Holmes and Evans continue their exploration of healthcare innovation. At a deeper level, this film is about how the framing of events influences our perception of reality. This is a film about lying, deception and manipulation.
When you think you can see everything, Fielder quickly has us realize that we have been fooled for the past three hours. We cannot see everything, and the truth about Theranos is not out there. This is a documentary that is unlike any that has ever been made before with Fielder and Oppenheim fathering a new genre of storytelling.