What’s the true story behind You Can See Everything? Here’s everything you need to know

There’s one movie title on everyone’s lips in the Stylist office this week, and it’s a documentary that promises viewers one thing, and one thing only: You Can See Everything.

The film, which centres on the enigmatic tech founder Elizabeth Holmes, is already generating Oscar buzz and could make history as the first documentary to receive a best picture nomination. And judging by its impressive opening-weekend figures, it seems plenty of people are keen to see everything.

The nearly three-hour film was released in the US and Canada on 16 October and pulled in an impressive $15 million (£11.25m) at the box office during its opening weekend, despite showing in just 855 cinemas. The conversation widened further when Amanda Seyfried went viral for her coy responses during press interviews about her involvement in the film. The actor, who previously portrayed Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout, appears in the new documentary, but just what she gets up to remains something of a mystery for those yet to see it. 

Who is Elizabeth Holmes?

In 2003, American businesswoman Holmes founded Theranos, a health-tech company that promised to revolutionise blood testing. The company claimed its technology could test for conditions such as cancer, diabetes and high cholesterol using just a few drops of blood from a finger prick.

After more than a decade of soaring success, Holmes was named the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion (£3.4bn), based on Theranos’s $9 billion (£6.8bn) total valuation. However, in 2015, doubts began to emerge about the company’s technology, with investigations raising questions about whether Holmes had misled investors and regulators about its capabilities. In 2016, Forbes revised its original estimate, and Holmes’s estimated net worth plummeted to zero.

In 2018, Holmes and Theranos’s former chief operating officer, Ramesh ‘Sunny’ Balwani – with whom she had also been romantically involved – were charged with fraud. The pair were accused of raising millions of dollars from investors based on false or exaggerated claims about the accuracy and capabilities of the company’s blood-testing technology.

That same year, Holmes settled fraud charges brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), agreeing to pay a $500,000 (£373,000) penalty, return approximately 18.9 million shares and relinquish control of the company, without admitting or denying the allegations.

In a criminal trial that concluded in January 2022, Holmes, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, was convicted of four counts of fraud – one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud against investors and three counts of wire fraud. She was subsequently sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison and ordered, alongside Balwani, to pay approximately $452 million in restitution to victims of the fraud.

Following the breakdown of her relationship with Balwani, Holmes began a relationship with hotel heir William ‘Billy’ Evans, with whom she now shares two children.

Credit: Courtesy of A24

Where is Elizabeth Holmes now?

At the time of writing, Holmes remains behind bars as she continues serving her 11-year sentence; however, she has made several attempts to appeal her conviction. In September, she was approved to transfer to a halfway house in Texas and is scheduled to move there in August 2027.

What happens in You Can See Everything?

If you know nothing about the movie – or have only seen that viral clip from the trailer – let us catch you up to speed. The film follows documentary makers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, who are invited into Holmes’s home to document the month before she’s sent to prison. The synopsis reads: “Thirty-four days before she’s sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a sceptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon soon becomes a mind-bending, three-year journey into the abyss.”

As for what actually happens, well, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself. But we’re willing to bet there are more than a few twists and turns before you get to see everything. And judging by the early reactions, it seems even viewers who have already seen the film are struggling to make sense of everything they witnessed.

Credit: Chris Maggio

When and how can you watch You Can See Everything?

While viewers across the pond have been filling cinemas to catch the new film, UK audiences can look forward to its wider theatrical release on Friday 20 November. The A24 documentary is expected to screen in cinemas across the country, although availability will vary by location.