When it comes to film genres, documentaries are just about my last choice. For me to enjoy a documentary typically, it has to be a subject that I’m overly invested in, or one I wouldn’t mind learning more about. Having previously binge-watched Hulu’s exceptionally good The Dropout series, which chronicles Elizabeth Holmes and her plight with Theranos, I wasn’t sure what else there would be left to say on the matter. Leave it to documentarian Nathan Fielder, who has an eye for unusually blunt inquisition methods. You Can See Everything is one of the best documentaries ever made, courtesy of Fielder’s eye for the strange and baffling world of Elizabeth Holmes and her equally off-kilter lover. Steeped in dramatic tension, unintentionally hilarious moments, gratuitous nudity, and shockingly meta twists and turns, You Can See Everything is a masterclass of the genre.
We start the film as Elizabeth Holmes is prepping to begin her sentence behind bars, with her boyfriend, Billy, by her side to help get her affairs in order. The duo have inexplicably agreed to let eccentric documentarian Nathan Fielder chronicle their life completely free of vanity and prejudice. They promise him access to all things, and to be completely transparent. Or so it would seem.
From the moment it begins, viewers are asked if they believe Elizabeth and Billy about their own personal struggles. Oftentimes Elizabeth will say something bafflingly simple, such as her insistence that she has never told a lie in her entire life, not even a white lie. Fielder’s reactions to the couple’s wildly unpredictable behavior is always extremely entertaining. Fielder is not afraid to call out the discrepancies in each story, holes in their narratives, or even to question their own emotional state. Though Elizabeth claims to be an open book, she’s as unreadable as ever as she glares deeply into Fielder’s eyes with a vacant expression and sunken-in eyes. Her romantic partner Billy comes across even worse, a somewhat lovable douche in the first half surely, but once the narrative leaps forward two years ahead, his controlling, erratic nature takes center stage.
What surprised me so much about this movie was Fielder and co-director Lance Oppenheimer’s formatting and editing, utilizing drastic close-ups and moments not dissimilar to those found in The Office or Parks and Rec. Fielder’s reactions are often just as amusing if not more than what is actually being said. Additionally, the second half makes it difficult to chronicle from the subject’s perspective. With Elizabeth behind bars, there are only so many ways the story can go. Spoiler alert: Amanda Seyfried, who played Holmes in The Dropout, stands in for Holmes as Fielder scripts her dialogue. It’s an interesting combination of filming techniques and styles, and adds an extra layer to this already preposterous portrait of a woman seemingly wrongfully accused.
Once Seyfried steps into the picture, nearly all bets are off. She does not hold back when it comes to her opinions or her insights into Holmes’s behavior. At times this can be a little off putting. Still, she provides a whole other perspective that the first half did not provide. Time and time again during the film, viewers are left to question the sincerity of Holmes, and whether or not she is truly guilty of the crimes for which she was found. At one point, her father bluntly states that she was raped, seemingly attempting to justify her strange nature. In another, Fielder tries to relate Holmes’s strange dialogue with him over Theranos to a famous comedy sketch; for Holmes, the entire point of the sketch doesn’t even register. Does Seyfried have an added insight given that she has physically played the real woman before?
One certainly does have to question whether Holmes is dumbing herself down, purposely attempting to remain in the dark, or whether her schtick could be some elaborate act to gain sympathy. But could she actually be this naive, this strange? The love between the couple seems genuine, although even that is called into question, considering her Billy’s bizarre controlling behavior. Billy comes off as quite the narcissist (see: his shower scene), yet he and Elizabeth appear bizarrely connected at the hip.
From the very beginning, You Can See Everything completely sucked me in. It’s especially fun to watch with a group, who can laugh at the preposterousness of the situation. Fielder’s strange humor and particular point of view shine through, making a three hour documentary breeze by in a jaw-dropping cavalcade of revelations and ridiculous reveals. Fielder never holds the audience’s hand, instead allowing them to make their own conclusions from the material he has compiled. Though he attempts to be as subjective as possible, there’s no denying the shape of his own narrative starts to form.
No doubt the truth about Elizabeth Holmes lies somewhere in the murky middle space. She is certainly a confounding woman, one who seems fiercely protective over her family, yet seemingly remains unaware of the damage she has done by illegally robbing investors of funds. It makes little sense to assess Elizabeth’s motivations. Can even Elizabeth herself can make sense of them? What does make sense is the awards season chances for You Can See Everything. I can see this film nabbing many prizes. Captivating, all encompassing, and wickedly entertaining, You Can See Everything nakedly shows behind the scenes of Elizabeth Holmes and her ultimate delusions.
Get the whole story with You Can See Everything, now playing exclusively in theaters.
