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Elizabeth Holmes Secretly Filmed Doc Before Prison: What to Know About Theranos Founder's Comeback
The film, titled “You Can See Everything,” was one of the biggest surprises at this year’s Telluride Film Festival. Directed by filmmaker Lance Oppenheim and comedian Nathan Fielder, the nearly three-hour documentary was kept largely under wraps for years before its surprise premiere.
A24 has announced that the film will receive a theatrical release on October 16, 2026.
Filmed Just 34 Days Before Prison
The documentary begins 34 days before Holmes was scheduled to report to federal prison in May 2023.
Holmes invited Fielder, Oppenheim and a small film crew into her Southern California home, where she was living with her partner, Billy Evans, and their two young children. What began as an attempt to document Holmes' life before prison eventually turned into a three-year filmmaking project.
According to the film's description, Holmes invited the crew to document her every move. The project was intended to give her an opportunity to present her own perspective after years of intense public scrutiny surrounding the collapse of Theranos.
But the filmmakers soon found themselves questioning exactly what they were witnessing.
A Very Different Kind of Documentary
Fielder is known for projects that blur the line between documentary, comedy and reality, including Nathan for You and The Rehearsal. His approach to Holmes' story appears to take that same unconventional direction.
The film reportedly begins as a straightforward portrait of Holmes and her family before evolving into something much stranger. Fielder eventually moves from behind the camera into the story himself, engaging Holmes in long and sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
The filmmakers also created elaborate reenactments, further blurring the distinction between what actually happened and what was recreated for the documentary.
Fielder said after the Telluride screening that even after spending years working on the project, he is still trying to understand what he experienced while filming with Holmes and Evans.
Holmes Maintains Her Innocence
The trailer offers a glimpse into Holmes' mindset as she prepares to enter prison.
In one exchange, Fielder asks Holmes about whether she is being truthful with him. Holmes insists that she is not trying to deceive him and says she is simply engaging with him as a person.
When Fielder asks whether she is being genuine, Holmes responds that she is “always being real.”
The moment has already generated significant discussion because of the complicated history surrounding Holmes and Theranos.
Holmes was convicted in 2022 on four counts related to defrauding investors and was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison. She reported to Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas in May 2023.
The Rise and Fall of Theranos
Holmes founded Theranos in 2003 and became one of Silicon Valley's most celebrated young entrepreneurs.
The company claimed its technology could perform numerous medical tests using only a small amount of blood, attracting major investors and partnerships and turning Holmes into a high-profile technology figure.
The company's claims eventually unraveled after reporting exposed serious problems with its technology and business practices. Theranos collapsed, and Holmes was ultimately convicted of defrauding investors.
Her story has already been the subject of documentaries and dramatizations, including the 2019 documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley and Hulu's 2022 miniseries The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried.
Unlike those projects, however, “You Can See Everything” features Holmes herself and gives filmmakers direct access to her life.
Her Life Behind Bars Is Also Part of the Story
The documentary does not end when Holmes enters prison.
The filmmakers continued following the story after her incarceration, although access changed significantly. Evans became an important connection between Holmes and the filmmakers, according to reporting from the Telluride premiere.
The film also explores how Holmes and Evans navigated their lives while she was incarcerated, including their hopes and plans for the future.
That access makes the documentary more than a look back at the Theranos scandal. It becomes an examination of how Holmes sees herself after her conviction — and how she wants the public to see her.
A Secret Premiere at Telluride
The documentary's unveiling was carefully orchestrated.
Telluride organizers kept the film's identity secret until the audience entered the theater. Attendees were required to place their phones in locked pouches, while additional security measures were used to prevent anyone from recording or leaking details.
When Fielder and Oppenheim walked onto the stage, they revealed that the mysterious “TBA” screening was their Elizabeth Holmes documentary.
The surprise generated immediate buzz among festivalgoers and critics, many of whom described the film as one of the most unusual projects shown at the festival.
When Can You Watch It?
“You Can See Everything” will be released exclusively in theaters on October 16, 2026, through A24.
For Holmes, the documentary represents another chapter in a story that has already captured the attention of Silicon Valley, Hollywood and the public for more than a decade.
For audiences, it offers something they have never seen before: Holmes telling her own story while the cameras are watching — and filmmakers attempting to make sense of what they see.
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