Thirty-four days before beginning an 11-year federal prison sentence for defrauding investors, disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes invited filmmakers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim into her California home. The resulting three-hour documentary, You Can See Everything, arrives in theaters October 16 following surprise festival screenings.
Holmes Recruits Filmmakers for Secret Three-Year Project
The project began when Holmes and her husband, Billy Evans, approached film distributor A24 about documenting their lives leading up to her incarceration. At the time, Holmes was preparing to report to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, following her January 2022 conviction on four counts of fraud and conspiracy for lying about the capabilities of her biotech company’s blood testing technology and conning investors out of millions of dollars.
The production culminated with Fielder moving into the couple’s guest house on the beach in Del Mar, California, where he stayed 34 days recording their daily routines right up until Holmes reported to federal prison.
Fielder Recounts Psychological Strain During Filming
When I met her, I remember having this weird experience where she seems so genuine at times. But then I’m like, ‘no,’ and clocking and tracking my thoughts and being like, ‘Okay, I know she’s a liar.’
Nathan Fielder, co-director
Oppenheim described an environment where normal boundaries dissolved during the shoot, noting that the laws of reality and everything they thought was going on outside just evaporated and no one could agree on what happened.
Evans Pursues New Business Ventures During Production
As the project progressed, domestic dynamics within the household changed. Billy Evans, whom Holmes married in 2017, emerges in the film as a commanding presence who frequently asserts that the best way for people to see who Holmes is is to give as much access as possible into their daily lives, while also discussing plans to kickstart a new business venture dubbed Theranos 2.0 to get investors onboard.
Holmes Nears Halfway House Move Amid Legal and Public Campaigns
Holmes entered prison in May 2023 after a jury acquitted her of defrauding patients and convicted her of defrauding investors. New reports have emerged that she is scheduled to move from the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, to a halfway house next summer.
Legal challenges and administrative petitions remain active alongside the film’s theatrical rollout. Outside the New York premiere venue at Lincoln Center, a truck parked on the street featured an LED screen displaying a portrait of the film’s subject alongside an online campaign at justblood.com proclaiming her innocence and that her testing technology is functional.
A24 has scheduled You Can See Everything for a nationwide theatrical release on October 16, following its surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and its official public unveiling at the New York Film Festival.