My row of Alice Tully Hall was filled with reporters scribbling notes about the buzzy new Elizabeth Holmes documentary. Then, we heard the warning.
“In the interest of trying to preserve a relatively spoiler-free experience for later audiences, we ask that you not film and post this conversation,” said Dennis Lim, the artistic director of New York Film Festival.
Lim recommended shaming anyone who recorded the chat between Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the directors of “You Can See Everything.” A flock of journalists put their phones away, disappointedly.
The filmmakers had reason to worry: “You Can See Everything” was one of the most shocking, revelatory, and oddly funny films I’ve ever seen. It was twisty and worthy of seeing with fresh eyes. So, I’m not going to spoil it for you. Lim wouldn’t want me to.
Here’s my veiled, semi-secretive attempt to tell you what I saw.
The anticipation was palpable
The line wrapped around the block. One woman, with her marker-written sign, begged for just one ticket by the security scanners.
It’s no surprise that the New York premiere was a hot ticket. “You Can See Everything” is about the story of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood-testing startup Theranos, who was convicted of defrauding investors of hundreds of millions of dollars. Her case became a media sensation, spawning books and a Hulu series.
Fielder himself is a pull, with his alt-comedy shows like “Nathan for You” and “The Rehearsal.” Oppenheim is in the news of late for his eerie take on the Chris Hansen story, “Primetime.”
But, in the lobby of the theater, Holmes was all I heard about. She’s still the fraudster of our public imagination, spurring endless questions. (Holmes maintains that she’s innocent throughout the film.)
The crowd and I eventually filed into the theater. There were lots of journalists, lots of creative types, lots of people involved in the film. I spotted multiple “Now Playing” caps from Film Forum.
Inside the screening
Fielder and Oppenheim introduced the film, receiving rapturous applause. They kept their words brief — sticking with the whole secrecy thing — before thanking Lim and letting the film run.
And then, we watched the documentary. It was shocking, jutting in new directions every 10 minutes and constantly toying with my expectations. It was also laugh-out-loud funny. And, in the end, it was somewhat moving.
The first half of the movie is about Holmes’ days before going to prison. Fielder gets shocking levels of access — hell, he lives in her house at one point — but still seems at a distance. He asks: Is she telling me the truth?
Her pitbull fiancé Billy Evans also gets in Fielder’s way. He’s a major player, and becomes even more so in the film’s unexpected second half.
If you want to learn more, look it up on X. I’m not going to be responsible for spoiling your experience.
The screening ended with a director Q&A. Fielder, a bit groggy after a nearly three-hour screening that started at 8 p.m., explained the film’s origins. Holmes approached A24, he said, who looped him in. Oppenheim also walked through the technical choices, like lighting and aspect ratio.
Fielder also reminded us not to spoil the movie. He understood that we had to write about it, but said that we should be careful with what we say.
A surprise outside the theater
I exited the screening on a high. And then, I saw it: the billboard truck.
A massive screen was parked outside the theater’s doors, proclaiming: “FREE ELIZABETH HOLMES.” Organizers for Just Blood, an organization trying to prove that Holmes’ tech was sound, handed out T-shirts.
Flyers papered the ground, asking viewers to “see why Elizabeth Holmes is innocent” by visiting their site.
It was a bit of a circus. Nobody seemed to take them seriously — we had just watched an entire documentary about Holmes and her crimes, after all, and Just Blood does come up — but they did stop to gawk. Many took pictures of the screen.
I headed to the subway, clutching a pin they shared with attendees: “I’ve seen everything.” I did feel like I’d seen everything. I felt like I’d learned something. And now, I’d have to sit on that knowledge until my friends (or you, dear reader) see it in a few weeks.
Trust me, it’s worth it.
Correction, October 1, 2026 — This story has been corrected to reflect that Billy Evans is Elizabeth Holmes’ fiancé, not husband.
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