Did Nathan Fielder Outsmart Elizabeth Holmes?
I went into You Can See Everything expecting to watch Nathan Fielder figure out Elizabeth Holmes. I left questioning everyone’s motives, trying to unwrap my mind from the twists and turns that I experienced over the course of this three-hour long A24 documentary.
What’s interesting is the person asking the questions. Nathan as in, “Nathan for You” Fielder.
This man has made a career out of conversations that leave everyone involved reconsidering the last twenty minutes of their life. Surely, he would recognize when someone was trying to manage his perception.
Surely.
The documentary begins following Holmes 34 days before she goes to prison for defrauding Theranos investors. She and her partner, Billy Evans, invite filmmakers into their home, offering access to the life behind the headlines. Nathan and co-director Lance Oppenheim take them up on it. What follows had me repeatedly changing my mind about what I was watching.
Warning: Major, MAJOR spoilers ahead! If you haven’t seen the movie, I’d suggest watching it first before comparing notes. But if you’re not planning to see it, this episode covers the highlights that you can bring up if it ever comes up in conversation.
Did you know? This article is part of Jeans with a Blazer, a podcast for creatives that shares the secrets behind what makes the greatest people, content, and moments in culture unforgettable.
Watch or listen to the discussion episode at the top of the article, then check out other episodes everywhere you enjoy your podcasts!
We’re Given a Curve Ball When the Villain Becomes… the Husband?!
And then there’s Billy.
As the film unfolds, my attention started shifting toward him. His interactions with Elizabeth and the filmmakers introduced questions I hadn’t anticipated. Suddenly, the documentary I thought I was watching had become a different story, and Nathan appeared increasingly invested in understanding what was happening inside their relationship.
That apparent investment is where things get especially interesting.
Early in the film, Elizabeth invites Nathan to swim in the ocean. It seems like a small exchange. By the ending, I was reconsidering it, along with several other moments I had initially accepted at face value.
I don’t want to hand you my entire interpretation here. But I will say this: getting the outcome you wanted doesn’t necessarily mean you remained untouched by the person you were investigating.
Same Film, Different Interpretations
For this episode of Jeans with a Blazer, I invited my partner, Django, who has a background in film and cinematography, to compare notes. We hadn’t properly debriefed, and we discovered that we weren’t always reading the same moments the same way.
We discuss the close-ups that make ordinary exchanges feel threatening, the uncomfortable silences, and what happens when Amanda Seyfried enters the story. We also disagree about how much of Nathan’s emotional involvement we should take at face value.
Watch How the Film Earns Your Trust
If you create content, there’s so much here to examine about how an audience forms an opinion. A reaction shot can quietly change your allegiance. A scene saved for later can make you reconsider everything before it.
I watched this nearly three-hour film late at night and still wasn’t ready for it to end. Apparently, being thoroughly unsettled is excellent for my attention span.
So, did Nathan Fielder outsmart Elizabeth Holmes? Or are we giving him the benefit of the doubt because we want him to be the smartest person in the room?
Watch or listen to the episode where I get into it, along wiht my guest host who has a background in filmmaking and cinematography, then tell me whose interpretation you believe.