Weeks before Elizabeth Holmes entered federal prison after being convicted of fraud, the Theranos founder welcomed a film crew into her home.
The first teaser for the resulting documentary, “You Can See Everything,” makes it seem like a mind-bending thriller starring the fallen tech visionary.
A24 surprised critics at the Telluride Film Festival on Sunday night with a screening of the closely watched project, which had been kept under wraps for three years. The film will be released in theaters in October.
Journalists who attended the screening wrote that phones and smart glasses were bagged upon entry. The festival director asked for secrecy about plot twists and a celebrity cameo.
“What happens in Telluride stays in Telluride,” she said the crowd toldrecalled Los Angeles Times reporter Josh Rottenberg.
Comedian Nathan Fielder and filmmaker Lance Oppenheim, whose A24 function “Primetime” also makes the festival circuit and directed the documentary. Fielder’s trademark blurring of real life and character acting is on full display as he presses Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, on whether they will tell him the truth.
A one-minute teaser shows an exchange between Holmes and Fielder. Holmes insists she has nothing to hide.
“I’m not that person,” she says, adding that she interacts with him “as a human being.” Fielder then asks if she is real.
“I’m always real,” Holmes answers without blinking.
Elizabeth Holmes, center, arrives at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Bryan, Texas on May 30, 2023. Bloomberg/Getty images
At the age of 19, Holmes began setting up a diagnostics company that could perform a series of blood tests using a few drops of blood. The idea took her from Stanford dropout to the Time 100, drawing comparisons to Steve Jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars from investors including Larry Ellison and Rupert Murdoch. Then came a Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed serious problems with Theranos technology, prompting the breakup of the company.
Holmes was convicted 11 years in prison after being found guilty of four charges, including fraud and conspiracy. Her expected release date is 2031.
This is what critics say.
Holmes says she did nothing wrong
Elizabeth Holmes leaves federal court with partner Billy Evans in San Jose, California, on Monday, October 17, 2022. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Owen Gleiberman Variety: “She resembles the actress Kim Greist of the ’80s and ’90s, and has a demeanor that is disarming in its gentleness. But when Fielder asks about the crimes for which she has been convicted, she pleads a strange kind of ignorance. She claims she has done nothing wrong, and it is clear that she believes it.”
A Hollywood actor plays Holmes in the reenactments
Jos Rottenberg, The Los Angeles Times: “The film takes a series of increasingly surreal turns, including elaborate reenactments involving a Hollywood actress (her arrival is too good to spoil) that further blur the line between reality and performance.”
Her partner is an ‘unlikely star’
Kyle Buchanan X: “You may be thinking, ‘Is there really anything new to say about Elizabeth Holmes?’ And there’s a lot: her partner Billy, a wild narcissist who emerges as the unlikely star of this film, is the most fascinating documentary subject I’ve seen in a long time. Three hours and I could have watched three more.”
The scene everyone is talking about
Pete Hammond, Term: “Fielder indeed has a great day grilling her and Billy, who are willing, albeit very unusual, topics here. In one strange scene, he asks if they’ve ever heard of Abbott & Costello (no) or their comedy classic routine, ‘Who’s On First,’ which he then shows them to elicit her bizarre interpretation.”
