Elizabeth Holmes’ documentary shows the scariest thing: how much we wanted to believe her

A close-up encounter

Fielder questions Holmes about her life and Theranos as she prepares to report to prison. The camera stays close to her expressions, but her answers seldom resolve the doubts surrounding her.

Holmes says she has never lied in her adult life and continues to deny wrongdoing in the film, despite her fraud conviction. The gaps between what she says and what viewers can know become central to the movie.

A different Theranos story

You Can See Everything is not primarily a film about a technology company. It blends a character study with elements of psychological thriller and surreal thought experiment. Earlier accounts took a more direct approach. Alex Gibney’s documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley examined discrepancies at Theranos, while Hulu’s The Dropout dramatized Holmes’ story and the distance between her ambition and abilities.

Charisma and doubt

The Holmes shown in Fielder and Oppenheim’s film appears gentler and more submissive than her public image might suggest. Fielder says he researched her time at Theranos, challenges her responses and tells her he doubts anyone will believe her again.

Later, a friend questions whether Fielder has polished his recollections of Holmes, perhaps because he has come to care about her. More than three years after their encounter, Fielder says he is still trying to understand what he felt in her presence.

The pull of belief

Former Theranos employee and whistleblower Tyler Shultz describes how Holmes could make him believe in her vision, even while he worked with the devices. He recalls wondering afterward how she had persuaded him.

The film’s effect comes from making that uncertainty immediate. Instead of simply being told Holmes was manipulative, viewers are placed in conversations where her influence—and the limits of what anyone can know—remain unsettled.