Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim negotiated a kill switch with A24 before filming You Can See Everything, allowing them to abandon the Elizabeth Holmes documentary if it lacked a viable hook.
The nonfiction portrait of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes arrived in theaters on Oct. 16. Directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the three-hour film follows Holmes during her final 34 days of freedom before reporting to the Federal Prison Camp in Bryant, Texas, to serve an 11-year sentence for defrauding investors. Despite the heavy media scrutiny surrounding Holmes across prior podcasts, books, and scripted television series, the production quickly emerged as a massive commercial and critical success.
The $7 Million Escape Hatch Secured With A24
Before cameras rolled, Fielder held deep reservations about whether another project on Holmes could uncover anything fresh. He pressed distributor A24 for an operational escape hatch.
Nathan [said to A24], ‘Well, do you think if Lance and I were to go and see if there was something there, would you be comfortable with giving us money and essentially just leaving us alone, and giving us a provision in our deal, whatever the money was, that we could just kill it at any time? If we didn’t find something, we could just throw it all away, we could throw it in the garbage can.’
Lance Oppenheim, Co-Director, via Yahoo
That provision changed the production dynamic. Fielder explained to Wired that the arrangement removed the usual studio pressure, creating a very nice zone to operate in
where the filmmakers could simply explore out of curiosity. Oppenheim noted that the unusual deal offered unprecedented freedom, remarking that he wished he could secure similar terms for every project so that they could operate purely out of curiosity and fish.
When the filmmakers first arrived at Holmes and Evans’ Del Mar beach cottage, Oppenheim emphasized his specific working style, while Fielder remained hesitant about how the documentary would ultimately materialize with only 34 days remaining before Holmes went to prison. A24 ultimately gambled that the creative team behind Spermworld and The Rehearsal would deliver a viable hook.
How Fielder Drifted In Front of the Camera
Cinematographer Jonathan Mitchell panned the camera toward Fielder, and Oppenheim watched the interaction unfold on a monitor.
And then the camera would come back on, [and] they’d continue asking Nathan questions. It felt like they were drawing Nathan almost in front of the camera, which was really interesting.
Lance Oppenheim, Co-Director, via IndieWire
By the second day of filming, Fielder appeared on screen with increasing frequency. The crew overhauled their approach, replacing widescreen anamorphic lenses with standard documentary zoom lenses and a tighter 4:3 aspect ratio to capture microexpressions. The filmmakers and crew experienced healthy disagreements early on regarding how to interpret the baffling behavior they observed up close. The subjects would pull Fielder in, asking for his opinion on various matters, which prompted him to bring up the confusing observations he was making.
Box Office Milestones at the Savannah Film Festival
Speaking at a screening at the 29th SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Fielder and Oppenheim addressed the persistent ambiguity of why Holmes and Evans invited them into their home.
Why us? Why are we there? I mean, I like myself enough, but I would not want me there for my last moments of freedom, if that makes sense.
Nathan Fielder, Co-Director, via TheWrap
When asked by a moderator if he had gained clarity on the couple’s motives since finishing the edit, Fielder answered succinctly: Uh, f—k no.
The film generated the biggest opening weekend for a documentary at the North American box office since 2004’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Following an expansion to 2,655 theaters, box office returns climbed another 23% during its subsequent run.
Toward the final act of the production, access to Holmes began to slip away as she became incarcerated. This led the filmmakers to introduce Amanda Seyfried—who previously starred in Hulu’s The Dropout—to help complete the film and re-enact key scenes and conversations from the time spent together. After reaching out to Seyfried, she invited the team over with their cameras. When Holmes herself stated that she had no interest in doing things again and began imitating herself, the creative team realized there was an unfinished desire to revisit the past, leading them down an unexpected path in the edit.
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