Elizabeth Holmes makes a stunning claim about her truth-telling ways in Nathan Fielder’s new documentary,You Can See Everything.
The film follows disgraced Theranos founder Holmes, her husband Billy Evans, and their two young children in the weeks leading up to her prison stay. Holmes was convicted in January 2022 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. She was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.
The documentary — filmed in secret over the course of three years and co-directed by Fielder and Primetime’s Lance Oppenheim — lands in theaters Friday.
Early on in the nearly three hour run time, Fielder asks Holmes whether she’s ever lied to anyone.
“I’ve never tried to deceive anyone,” Holmes argues. Fielder counters, asking Holmes to confirm that she’s “never lied” in her life.
“I’ve always tried to say what I believe,” Holmes responds.
The topic of Holmes believing she was telling the truth throughout the entire Theranos ordeal is repeatedly brought up throughout the film. Holmes maintains she didn’t lie about her company’s technology, even saying at one point while explaining the capabilities of the device she created: “I thought that I was communicating effectively.”
Holmes’ ability (or lack thereof) to tell the truth permeates the entire documentary. In an early trailer for the film, an unblinking Holmes told Fielder: “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 reason for me to do that.”
In another moment, Fielder asks Evans: “You’ve never been suspicious that she’s ever lied to you?”
“No. Never,” Evans says.
You Can See Everything premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September, where it was shrouded in mystery until the screening actually began. The film offers unprecedented access to Holmes, who began serving her 11-year sentence in May 2023 at a federal prison in Texas. Her listed release date at the Federal Bureau of Prisons is currently March 19, 2032.
Early reviews of the film are glowing. The Guardian called the documentary a “modern masterpiece of deceit,” while The Daily Beast wrote in its review: “Not just the film of the year – it’s a documentary that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the form’s all-time greats.”
You Can See Everything premieres in theaters October 16.
