Can Nathan Fielder’s Wild Elizabeth Holmes Film Actually Score an Oscar?

The race for the Academy Awards just ran into its strangest contender yet. Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim have turned Hollywood upside down with their new Elizabeth Holmes project, *You Can See Everything*, leaving industry insiders wondering if Oscar voters are bold enough to embrace a nonfiction film that plays by zero traditional rules. The A24 release first blindsided festival-goers during an unannounced screening on Sept. 6 at Telluride. Ever since, it has dominated social feeds, fueled by promotional clips that had analysts dissecting the disgraced Theranos founder’s chilling smile and unblinking gaze. Moviegoers turned that viral fascination into cold, hard cash, driving the title to a staggering $15 million domestic start. That performance marks the highest opening weekend haul for any documentary in over a decade.

Box office dominance usually guarantees serious attention from Academy members, but the documentary branch is notoriously conservative. Traditional voters often favor emotionally grounded humanitarian stories and conventional journalism over surrealist experiments. Fielder’s signature brand of awkward, reality-bending trickery makes the project hard to categorize, presenting a puzzle for awards strategists. Reports indicate that audiences cannot easily discern where reality stops and performance art begins. Both the fallen biotech entrepreneur and the comedic filmmaker operate as unreadable figures throughout the runtime. Rather than delivering a simple investigative breakdown of corporate fraud, the filmmakers lean into paranoia and misdirection. That creative gamble could either energize adventurous voters looking for innovation or instantly alienate purists who expect strict reportage.

BUZZBEAT

Much of the intrigue surrounding the campaign stems from whether voters view the release as a legitimate nonfiction achievement or a high-concept prank. The fall season already boasts competitive, narrative-heavy cinema, including extended epics like *Digger*, yet Oppenheim and Fielder’s collaboration remains the most talked-about release on the circuit. If the studio manages to turn this chaotic buzz into official voting momentum, *You Can See Everything* could disrupt the entire documentary category. For now, awards prognosticators are left guessing whether the Academy will celebrate a bold pop-culture milestone or shut it out completely when nominations arrive.