You Can See Everything

My nephew and I have been eagerly anticipating You Can See Everything ever since the trailer dropped after its surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last month so we were both giddy with excitement when we attended a sold out early access screening at the Broadway last night (we are both weirdly fascinated by the Elizabeth Holmes scandal).  I had very high expectations and it did not disappoint!  In fact, it is one the best documentaries I have ever seen and watching it with a large and vocal crowd was one of the best theatrical experiences I have ever had!  Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced former CEO of Theranos, invites Nathan Fielder to move in with her, her partner Billy Evans, and their two children to document her final 34 days before reporting to prison in May of 2023.  She gives him and his film crew unprecedented access in order to tell her side of the story after being vilified in articles, books, documentaries, and a limited series on Hulu starring Amanda Seyfried.  In her conversations with Fielder, she vehemently denies any wrongdoing (in a fascinating discussion about her word choice when describing the device she invented to test blood) and she details her plans for another medical testing startup with Evans.  After Holmes reports to prison, Fielder interrogates whether or not he has been manipulated in a twist that produced an audible gasp from my audience.  Without spoiling anything (you should go in as blind as possible), this twist is absolutely brilliant because there are so many layers and it recontextualizes everything that has gone before several different times (I still don't know who to believe because Holmes and Fielder match each other in intensity and it is mesmerizing to watch).  I was completely riveted (my nephew actually leaned forward in his seat multiple times because he was so locked in) and the three hour runtime flies by with scenes that I found equally moving (I hate to admit that I felt bad seeing her cry at the thought of leaving her small children), funny, intriguing, maddening, and horrifying.  Beyond all of that, the production value is outstanding, especially the editing.  I will definitely be thinking about it for a long time and I highly recommend it!

Note:  This is practically a shoe-in for the Best Documentary Oscar and I predict that it will be nominated for Best Picture!