In the month since its release, the documentary "You Can See Everything" has become a full-blown cultural phenomenon.
The film, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, follows Elizabeth Holmes, the former head of the failed biotech company Theranos, and her partner, Billy Evans, in the 34 days before Holmes begins serving a prison sentence for defrauding investors.
Having grossed about $65 million at the box office, the film has garnered critical acclaim, inspired countless takes and parodies in the media, and sent many a viewer down an internet rabbit hole.
Fielder, a filmmaker, actor, and comedian, inserts himself into the film, using his trademark awkward persona and surreal humor. He moves into the couple's rented beach house in Del Mar, California, observing the couple in their daily interactions and questioning Holmes about her actions at Theranos.
For Marc Francis, the film programming manager for Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the film is representative of what he considers documentary rehearsal, a nonfiction technique that showcases the preparation process behind the re-enactment or performance of a real-life event. He is currently writing a book, tentatively titled "Documentary Rehearsal: Dramaturgy of the Everyday," which will cover Fielder's TV shows and this film, as well as many other works.
