Nathan Fielder is a once-in-a-lifetime comedic talent. He graduated from one of Canada’s top business schools with really good grades, but he’s also had a past as a magician, which has seemingly conditioned him to become an expert at misdirecting people and having a sleight-of-hand skill that can really pull the rug from under an audience, which captures certain people in unusual situations. He’s dabbled in documentaries before with his shows Nathan For You and The Rehearsal. Now, Fielder goes into the world of controversial public figure Elizabeth Holmes with full access for his new documentary, You Can See Everything, which Fielder directs with Primetime director Lance Oppenheim.
A24 has just released a new trailer for the project. The documentary, which comes from A24, runs a whopping 174 minutes, tracking Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder as he documents Elizabeth Holmes during her last thirty-four days of freedom before she began serving her 11 1/2-year sentence in federal prison. Holmes, of course, is the infamous Silicon Valley entrepreneur whose blood-testing company, Theranos, made her a household name and the world’s youngest female billionaire, as the company was supposed to revolutionize blood testing. The idea was that a pinprick drop of blood was all that was needed for a comprehensive test. The only problem — it was all a scam. The technology never worked, with the science behind it all invented by Holmes and her cronies, who nonetheless raised enough capital to give her company a $9 billion valuation, only for it to come crashing down spectacularly.
Holmes’ crimes were previously documented in the Hulu limited series The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried, but Fielder’s You Can See Everything is something different. He actually managed to get Holmes’ cooperation, with him essentially moving in with her as she prepares for her sentence. Early reviews say the film, which Fielder directed with documentarian Lance Oppenheim (whose other film, Primetime, has just been reviewed by our own Chris Bumbray), is incredible, with Holmes seemingly unrepentant about her crimes and not even really understanding what exactly she did wrong in the first place. It sounds fascinating, although do yourself a favor and DON’T read Variety’s review, as their critic, Owen Gleiberman, has spoiled a major third-act surprise that Fielder specifically requested journalists not reveal.