Grace Diviny, Staff Writer
If you are a fan of comedic shows or movies, chances are you have heard of or are a fan of Nathan Fielder. The Canadian comic, known mainly for his shows Nathan For You and The Rehearsal, usually portrays himself in an awkward manner that many would consider as off putting and weird. However, his directorial–feature debut of his new documentary ‘You Can See Everything’ has proved that the comedian can present a whole different side to him and find success in it.
The documentary, co-directed by Lance Oppenheim and presented as a A24 feature film, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival before being released in theaters on October 16th, and it is centered around disgraced Theranos owner Elizabeth Holmes, whose arrest and trial for defrauding investors for her company thrust her into the public spotlight in 2017. She was found guilty on four counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud against multiple investors, many of whom invested at least millions into Holmes’ company.
The film also involves her partner Billy Evans alongside their two children, and it is set thirty four days before Elizabeth was set to spend her eleven-year sentence. It focuses on Holmes’ character and personality, where the audience gets to determine if Elizabeth is a master manipulator, or ultimately a broken and manipulated, misunderstood creator.
Fielder moved in with the couple during filming, and his fans were able to get a sneak peek of his non-comedic work. One of the most talked about parts of the documentary’s trailer was a scene where Fielder and Holmes have a personal conversation about her criminal actions, with Holmes intensely looking at the comedian and telling him, “I don’t have anything to deceive you on, of course I’m not deceiving you.”
Many have noted how uncomfortable and unnerving the scene is, especially with Elizabeth’s lack of self-awareness and her lack of facial movements such as blinking, but longtime Nathan Fielder fans have joked that Elizabeth’s behavior mirrors that of his usual comedic manner, but in an unironic way to where he seemed even put-off and creeped out by her mannerisms when confronting her.
Fielder even expressed how bewildered he was by Holmes’ behavior during the Q&A screening at the movie’s premiere at Telluride. “I really am struggling to this day to understand exactly what I experienced,” Fielder said to the audience about Holmes’ bizarre antics. “And one of the things I’m genuinely excited about is for this movie to come out and for people to help me understand what I experienced. Truly, to this day, I don’t quite know what I went through.”
While Nathan Fielder may be a comedic genius whose combined deadpan humor and weird behavior has made him beloved by many, he also proves that he can in fact put on a serious facade and interview complex figures in our society in a fascinating manner that leaves us with
more questions than answers, especially in the case of the troublesome inventor that is Elizabeth Holmes.
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