Elizabeth Holmes Is Not the Problem With You Can See Everything

Documentary filmmaker Nathan Fielder and his co-director Lance Oppenheim have created a provocative film titled You Can See Everything. The film focuses on the incarceration of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the blood-testing technology company Theranos, who was convicted of fraud in 2018 and sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison.

In order to make the documentary, Fielder, Oppenheim, and their crew shadowed Holmes, her partner Billy Evans, and their two children for 34 days, putting themselves in close proximity to the family's life. The film's title is inspired by Holmes' promise to the filmmakers that she would not hide anything from them. However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that Holmes' transparency may not have been entirely honest.

Throughout the first half of the film, Holmes repeatedly assures Fielder that she has nothing to hide, but his probing questions often catch her in inconsistencies and lies. It seems that Holmes' insistence on her own honesty is more of a performance than a genuine attempt at transparency. As the film moves into its second half, which takes place two years after Holmes has gone to prison, the filmmakers are cut off from their subject.

The limited access they have is further restricted by Evans, who appears to be more interested in using his wife's words and likeness for his own benefit. While Holmes' insistence on her own honesty may have been a form of self-invented honesty, it ultimately proves to be more of a deception. Ultimately, the film raises important questions about the role of documentary filmmakers in shaping the narrative, and whether their involvement inevitably colors the story.