warning there are spoilers
I headed out last night to a packed community theater one village away. Built in 1880 as a skating ring, destroyed by fire in 1917 or thereabouts until the community came together to rebuild and host vaudeville type performances. From 1940’s on it became a movie theater. In 2020 it closed due to the pandemic, the owners refurbished it in 2025 (goddess bless them) -- lucky us we have opportunities to support a local community theater. The 500-seat theater was nearly sold-out last night as the crowd whooped, clapped and laughed out loud large while absorbing Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s genre defying and disturbing documentary, You Can See Everything about Elizabeth Holmes. If you have been hiding under a rock, Elizabeth Holmes, along with her partner at the time Sunny Balwani, were both imprisoned for defrauding millions upon millions of dollars, I believe 700 million for their company Theranos.
Fielder was not originally supposed to be in the film and yet it is obvious to why it made sense to put him on screen as his cool, deadpan demeanor and facial expressions for me, more than a music soundtrack emits, an audience reaction. Make no mistake the movie is a mind fuck. It is a mirror to the blurred lines between truth and lies and those who con themselves into believing lies. Whether you want to believe she is greatest all-time manipulator or mentally ill the film leaves this question up to its viewers. Here are my humble observations and why I fell so compelled to write this the morning after.
I feel Elizabeth Holmes is delusional and mentally ill. This occurred to me after her father (the former VP of Enron, although he was not indicted with Enron fraud and schemes, he must have witnesses his fair amount) during Fieldman’s interview mentioned life went awry with his daughter after her being raped. This was promptly interrupted by the monitored control of Billy Evans, (Holmes’ is fiancé) the tension seen in both parents on screen and the tightly held hands reminded me of a parent knowing that something is “off” with their child. Their child is brilliant, but delusional, what else could they do but be supportive? I feel like these types of delusions are more frequent with children growing up with more screen time, less real time and become decreasingly grounded in reality. Furthermore, tech companies now fund ‘idea grants’ to Stanford students who they believe can create the next billion dollar start up. (How to Rule the World, Theo Baker) Stanford students drop out of school and receive funding for their ideas for tech start-ups.
What was the most egregious and disturbing issue with the film for me is the rampant realization that tech bros are creating a culture of femme submission. It made me and I am certain many women want to vomit. Marry or partner with a tech bro and sure he wants your savvy ideas, knowledge, love and devotion -- in return he will make all your decisions personal, financial, physical, spiritual, etc. All this under the guise of ‘oneness’. I know what you are feeling, thinking, wanting, we don’t have to even speak! WOW.
Holmes submission sickness plays off victimhood, her head constantly nodding in agreement when she speaks and large blue eyes staring into some haunting psychological abyss. I walked away wondering what was all the head nodding is about – anyone? Some psychological display of? An affirmation to help one believe their lying? I wonder.
One thinks of Musk and his now, 13-14 children, using women to populate his . . . Musk threatening Kara Swisher because of her comments about him. Sam Altman’s sister accusing him of ongoing abuse. True, Billy Evans withdrew his money interest in the film. Is this because after Elizabeth, we see so played so brilliantly by Amanda Seyfried, telling Fielder she will speak to him. However now the word on the street is that he is lawyering up for their share. Let’s see.
The film’s end we see Seyfried destabilizing Fielder about caring for Holmes, leading to perhaps his own self-questioning about the relationship between a documentarian and their subject. The screen shows them swimming in the ocean together, a reluctance Fielder shared with Holmes earlier in his interview about his reservations about swimming in cold water, he caved and as she requested, he dove in the Pacific with her.
I do feel this was an attempt perhaps by Holmes and Evans who initiated Fielder and A24 (the production company) to muster up sympathy for her.
As Theranos whistleblower, Tyler Shultz wrote (STAT, I was a Theranos whistleblower, in You Can See Everything Elizabeth Holmes is lying, October 19, 2026), “The omission of Holmes living at a 125-million-dollar estate during her trial and her refusal to show audited financial statement to investors was left out of the film.”
Holmes is scheduled to move into a halfway house next August.
Stay true world,
MGH