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| A photo still from YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING |
Critics are raving, rightly so, about the Nathan Fielder/Lance Oppenheim documentary YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING. While those of us who have been cheering on Nathan Fielder for awhile understand that this is just the next step in his continuum, others are claiming they have never seen anything like it. While it's true that the cumulative combination of the project defies comparison, it's really several stories combined into one – and each thread draws on countless projects made before. Some of these are heralded today, but many have slipped away from the conversation. Here are my picks for films that have something in common with YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING if you want more stories that keep you thinking long after the credits roll.
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| A photo still from GRIZZLY MAN |
GRIZZLY MAN (2005), directed by Warner Herzog
As Nathan Fielder spends time at the home of Elizabeth Holmes and family, you begin to suspect he has grown somewhat obsessed with her. Anyone who knows Fielder knows his ability to obsess over the smallest detail, but it's hard to discern how much of this is in service of chasing the story rather than person feelings. Viewers may find similar threads in GRIZZLY MAN, one of the many documentaries by the great Warner Herzog. Throughout his career, Herzog has shown a hyper interest in obsessive, driven personalities. The subject of GRIZZLY MAN is Timothy Treadwell, who lived in close proximity to bears to study them, eventually being killed by one of the bears he claimed to befriend. Treadwell was convinced that he had a special relationship with the bears that kept him protected, demonstrating a type of egotistical carelessness which leads to trouble. Herzog studies the videotaped journals of Treadwell's studies, trying to get down to the truth of Treadwell's self-proclaimed "friend of bears status." If you enjoy films where a documentarian seems to take more than an objective interest in their subject, this has that same feel.
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| A photo still from NOT A PRETTY PICTURE |
NOT A PRETTY PICTURE (1976), directed by Martha Coolidge
Nathan Fielder has brought the art of reenactment into the pop culture conversation, but he's far from the inventor. Before she became famous for 1980s comedies like VALLEY GIRL or REAL GENIUS, Martha Coolidge released her directorial debut in 1976, NOT A PRETTY PICTURE. When Coolidge was 16 years old, she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance. In this documentary, she painstakingly recreates events leading up to, during, and after the assault, sometimes stopping to recalibrate the way the scene is playing out or to interrogate the hired actors about their reactions. Coolidge's groundbreaking docudrama allows viewers to see how an assault might actually play out versus the sensationalized version put out by male-made coming of age films. Fielder demonstrates the same care and attention in crafting scenes that accurately portray his memories of conversations and moments in time.
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| A photo still from THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES |
THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES (2012), directed by Lauren Greenfield
The first part of YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING is an intimate portrait of a family at home during a time of crisis. We pick up 34 days before Elizabeth Holmes is due to start a prison sentence at Federal Prison Camp. Fielder lives at home with the family and is given a level of access usually only reserved for close friends. Greenfield released a similar documentary in 2012. She begins filming David and Jackie Siegel, an uberwealthy couple who are building Versailles House, which would be one of the largest single-family houses ever made. The story takes a turn when in 2008, a recession hits and construction halts. Used to a certain standard of living, the family struggles to live on a reduced income. Cracks begin to show in the marriage and the household management. Greenfield shows much more restraint and stays off camera, but she does interview the family and manages to capture footage that speaks far better than any commentary could. And even though we can find plenty to mock, Greenfield manages a professional objectivity that lends the Siegels their humanity. Fielder, likewise, finds the relatable parts of Elizabeth Holmes and her husband, even as he lends them enough rope to craft their own noose.
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| A photo still from SOUR GRAPES |
SOUR GRAPES (2016), directed by Jerry Rothwell
Fielder has stated that YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING is about the pleasure of being deceived, comparing watching Holmes to attending a magic show. While I could easily recommend Christopher Nolan's THE PRESTIGE for its subject matter as well as a structure that echoes the stages of a magic trick, I will instead direct your attention to SOUR GRAPES, a documentary about another great scamster named Rudy Kurniawan. In the early 2000s, Kurniawan shows up on the wine scene out of nowhere and manages to take on a Jay Gatsby personae, eventually influencing wealthy elites into purchasing counterfeit vintage wines at auction. This documentary raises questions of the prices people are willing to pay, the hope they place in elite products to give them status, and the ease with which someone could dupe the wealthiest and most successful people in the world. Similar things could be said of Holmes who managed to talk many investors into parting from their cash for a stake in her "drop of blood" machine. The dopamine rush of feeling you have been shown a deal of a lifetime is scrutinized in both films about the art of the scam.
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| A photo still from THE STAIRCASE |
THE STAIRCASE mini-series (2022), directed by Antonio Campos
Although it's not really the point of the story, YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING forces us to reckon with whether or not we believe Elizabeth Holmes is guilty of fraud. We each come with our own beliefs of how a person acts when they are guilty, and that same questioning of our own perceptions is a huge theme in one of the few limited series I have taken the time to watch multiple times. THE STAIRCASE is essential viewing for any true crime fan, especially those of us from the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Not only is it a haunting crime, but it portrays how obsessed people can become with the details of the case. The question of whether Michael Peterson did or did not push his wife Kathleen down the stairs still haunts the Forest Hills neighborhood of Durham. Only Michael himself knows the answer. This HBO mini-series is based on a 13-part documentary that is a masterpiece in its own right, but I prefer the mini-series for its knockout cast (pitch perfect performances by Colin Firth, Toni Colette, Parker Posey, Michael Stuhlbarg plus more) and the way it continually forces viewers to see the story from multiple perspectives.
YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING is like one of those zoom out picture books. Every time you think you have a grip on the movie, it zooms out and reveals another layer, leaving you questioning all you have seen before.
5 Movies to watch is something 1ofmystories loves to do.
Find the whole series. Feel free to recommend a new movie to match in the comments.
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