Seeing ‘Everything’ About Elizabeth Holmes 

Elizabeth Holmes is back in the public eye­—though in many ways, she never really left it. 

Like her previous reappearances, Holmes is making her latest grand entrance sporting another new persona in an attempt to salvage her tainted narrative.

This one, however, may be more attuned to her near insatiable need for public adoration and celebrity status.

And what better place to command such attention than the silver screen?

That’s right—the convicted felon-turned vulnerable mother-turned prison rape counselor/pseudo social worker-turned policy maker is trying her hand at acting.

Seems like a natural fit, given Holmes’ string of past dramatic performances.

In her debut role, for example, she transformed herself into a gruff Steve Jobs-esque CEO who was convinced of her own entrepreneurial brilliance. Holmes’ meteoric rise to self-made billionaire made her the tech darling of Silicon Valley, and she proved remarkably adept at convincing investors, business leaders, and the public to buy into her vision for revolutionizing blood testing technology.

It was an award-worthy performance, for sure.

For her next portrayal, Holmes assumed the antithetical roles of greedy, lying corporate villain and emotionally abused girlfriend, both of which she executed in a federal courtroom during her 2021 wire fraud trial. 

Since her conviction on multiple fraud charges in January 2022, Holmes has taken on a multitude of roles, each of which has been minor but no less memorable: somber inmate No. 24965-111; bucket hat-wearing devoted mother; helpful re-entry clerk for soon-to-be-released inmates; compassionate rape counselor; and staunch champion against injustice.

Missing amidst all these roles, though, is Holmes’ true identity—the one she insists is neither deceitful nor deserving of the public backlash she’s faced for her personal and professional failures.

To quell the backlash, Holmes is stepping into the spotlight once again­—this time as the lead character in A24’s documentary, “You Can See Everything,” which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in early September. Co-directed by Canadian filmmaker/actor/comedian Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, (director of “Primetime,” featuring Robert Pattinson), the documentary is scheduled for U.S. release on Oct. 16.

Related: Is Elizabeth Holmes (Gasp!) Back in Business?

The film’s official description reads: “Thirty-four days before she’s sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey into the abyss.”

Mind-bending, indeed. A trailer for the film shows Fielder grilling both Holmes and her partner, hotel heir William Evans, about his round-the-clock presence. The couple gave the movie directors unprecedented access to their lives in the days leading up to Holmes’ 135-month prison term in 2023.

“I know you guys invited me to stay here. Does any part of you worry about me being here 24/7?” Fielder asks.

“I don’t think so,” Holmes replies.

“But what if I see something that makes you look bad?” Fielder retorts, as Holmes simply smirks.

Shortly after that exchange, Fielder questions Evans about his relationship with Holmes and his trust in her honesty. Evans reveals that he fell in love with Holmes in his “first conversation,” before learning she was the founder of Theranos.

“I mean, weren’t you worried she was sort of, scamming you?” Fielder asks.

“100 percent, but what did she have to gain from me?” Evans responds. 

“Well, isn’t your family rich?” Fielder rebuts, to which Evans—heir to the multi-million-dollar Evans Hotel Group fortune—counters, “Yeah, I think that there’s a lot of different levels of wealth.”

Still, Fielder further prods Evans: “You’ve never been suspicious that she’s ever lied to you?” 

“No. Never.”

Fielder isn’t so sure, though. More than halfway through the trailer, he wonders whether the couple is keeping something hidden from the cameras. “I still have this weird feeling that there’s some things that I’m not seeing.”

Holmes, for her part, shows off her acting chops in this particular trailer clip. Upon hearing Fielder’s suspicions, she simply smiles and says, “Because I don’t have anything to hide.”

Details about “You Can See Everything” (or Almost Everything, if Fielder is to be believed) have not been released, but it’s been rumored the film breaks from the traditional documentary format.

There’s also speculation the documentary could be up for an Oscar—both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter predict the film could be a leading Best Picture contender, along with “The Odyssey,” “Project Hail Mary,” and “Wild Horse Nine.”

No word yet on Holmes’ chances for Best Actress. But her strongest chances may rest on the performances she delivers at the beginning and end of the trailer.

At the start of the trailer, Holmes doubles down on her innocence, admitting she still struggles to understand how her life unraveled so spectacularly. 

Then at the end of the trailer, Holmes becomes emotional, revealing the insecurity she feels about exposing her vulnerability to the outside world. “I mean, it took me a really long time to be okay with…letting someone see me cry,” she says, as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

Maybe she has a shot at Best Actress, after all.

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