A24 has released a teaser trailer for Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s surprise Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything — and it’s quite something.
For the uninitiated, Elizabeth Holmes is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas for defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup, Theranos. Holmes, who married hotel heir Billy Evans in 2019 and with whom she has had two children (one born in 2021, the other in 2023), began her sentence on May 30, 2023.
But 34 days before she was sent to prison, Holmes invited Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder and a film crew into her home to document her every move. The film is the result of this unprecedented access and a three-year journey that certainly goes places, based on reviews to a secret screening on Sunday.
This teaser offers just a glimpse of what to expect from the 174-minute documentary, but it’s an intense watch. Fielder and Holmes are extremely close, looking into each other’s eyes as the notorious Silicon Valley founder insists she’s being genuine.
“I’m not that person,” Holmes begins as she holds Fielder’s gaze with a creepy, unwavering smile. “I can promise you that. I don’t have anything to deceive you on. Of course I’m not deceiving you. I’m engaging with you as a human being. Why would I deceive you? There’s no… there’s no reason for me to do that.”
Fielder, who wears a disbelieving expression of his own, replies: “…okay. Allright. Okay, good chat. You being real right now?”
“I’m always being real,” Holmes responds, before the camera shifts and we see that she is rocking her baby with her foot.
The scene rekindles memories of Hannibal Lecter and Clarice in Silence of the Lambs, although there isn’t a prison cell to be seen. There’s even a whiff of sexual tension in the teaser, which sets up the documentary perfectly and demands further investigation.
Filming was done in secret, and its existence was only disclosed on Sunday night via a premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. A synopsis for the film reads: “34 days before she’s sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey into the abyss. From boundary-pushing directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim comes You Can See Everything.”
According to Vanity Fair, Fielder actually lived with Holmes and her family in the days leading up to her imprisonment. He told the publication: ”I really am struggling to this day to understand exactly what I experienced.”
You Can See Everything launches in theaters in October. Holmes, meanwhile, is scheduled to be released from prison on August 16, 2032.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
