New York (AFP) – A three-hour introspective documentary, full of long dialogues and fixed shots, on a story already widely publicized in the United States: it is the unexpected hit in American cinemas of “You Can See Everything”, which has become a cultural phenomenon in a few weeks.

Published on: 10/11/2026 - 09:28

Immersed in the intimacy of former rising biotechnology star Elizabeth Holmes during the days preceding her incarceration for fraud in 2023, the film released on October 16 in the United States temporarily took the lead at the box office, a rare event for a documentary.

Memes on the Internet, lookalike competitions, sketches in the "late shows"... the image of the ex-boss of Theranos and the actor Nathan Fielder - narrator, interviewer and co-director, another central figure of the feature film - have since invaded the screens, and the film the conversations.

However, the journey of one of the rare female founders of start-ups who became world famous had already been widely dissected through the media, podcasts, and even in a fictional mini-series, without ever completely clarifying the mystery surrounding her personality.

“I’ve been following his story closely for years,” says Alexandra Lesnik, 29, who came to see “You Can See Everything” early in the afternoon on a weekday in a sold-out Brooklyn theater.

But “I have the feeling that the film brings a new and different perspective,” she adds, specifying that it is “the first time” that she has seen a documentary in the cinema.

“I had read a lot” about it, adds another spectator, Nathan Seyers, 53, initially attracted by “the buzz among (his) friends” and who came away ultra-enthusiastic: “Probably one of the five best films I have ever seen!”

“It’s clear that this feature film captivated the public’s attention in a profound way,” notes Kate Rennebohm, a film instructor at Lawrence University in Wisconsin, who says that after its release, “students came to see (it) every day after class to discuss it.”

Marketing and “post-truth”

Navigating between reality TV, cinema vérité and fiction, "You Can See Everything" offers a striking point of view on the words of a personality who we know has lied - she was convicted of deception - but who does everything possible to convince otherwise.

Throughout the story, the viewer is invited to review their judgment: Is it possible that she is sincere? That she managed to deceive herself? That she is someone else's victim?

“What struck me is how constantly we change our point of view,” comments Avery Smith, a 27-year-old New Yorker.

Having become a cult figure on American television thanks to shows mixing deadpan humor and experiments often veering into discomfort, Nathan Fielder has also attracted many viewers thanks to this notoriety, critics note.

“The promotional campaign for the film was remarkable,” says Nora Stone, professor of cinema at the University of North Alabama and specialist in the documentary genre.

Kept secret until its surprise premiere at the Telluride festival in September, “the documentary then benefited from all the marketing firepower” of independent studio A24, she observes.

“The filmmakers' appeal not to spoil the film also reinforced its aura of mystery and its power of intrigue,” says Geoffrey Lokke, a researcher at Columbia University.

In this documentary where everyone is at one point or another scratched, the producers themselves are not spared - a story of big money which is one of the twists and turns and undermines the image of A24, and that of Elizabeth Holmes' husband.

“+You Can See Everything+ constitutes a remarkable illustration of the post-truth era: never admitting the slightest fault,” judges Nora Stone to explain the fascination it provokes.

“Elizabeth Holmes came to embody in spite of herself” a “culture of self-delusion and denial of reality which underlies Silicon Valley and the American technology industry,” adds Kate Rennebohm.

“A culture which today reaches a critical point” with the threats of artificial intelligence, according to her.

In the race for the Oscars, “You Can See Everything” is released on December 30 in France.

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.