“Isn’t it weird that I, like, did a TV show about kind of a business scam, and you got in trouble for like … a business scam?” comedian and filmmaker Nathan Fielder gently asks Elizabeth Holmes.
In a fascinating intersection of reality and performative personas, Nathan Fielder, known for his cringeworthy but insightful humor, engages with the enigmatic Elizabeth Holmes shortly before she begins her 11-year prison sentence for fraud linked to her blood-testing startup, Theranos. Just a month prior, hopelessly seeking to reshape her public image, Holmes had reached out to A24, inviting them to document her final days of freedom. Teaming up with director Lance Oppenheim, Fielder delves into the complicated psyche of a woman who transformed from a tech entrepreneur to a symbol of deception.
Fielder’s Unique Approach
Fielder, celebrated for his satirical docu-reality series “Nathan for You,” leverages his knack for blurring lines between reality and absurdity to probe Holmes’ controversial narrative. His surreal interventions, such as persuading a coffee shop to rename itself “Dumb Starbucks,” highlight the often farcical nature of modern entrepreneurship and public perception. At one point, he jabbed at Holmes, suggesting that if she framed her Theranos venture as a comedy bit, she might have escaped legal ramifications.
Holmes, however, emotionally defends the reality of her situation, retorting, “It was real.” Fielder’s inquiries lead viewers to ponder the deeper question: Does Holmes genuinely believe she has done nothing wrong?
Unraveling the Personal Narrative
Throughout her trial, where she faced testimonies from investors and patients impacted by Theranos’ failures, Holmes’s confidence remained unshaken. In her interactions with Fielder, she declares, “The world believes a reality about me that isn’t true. I know I didn’t commit any crime.” This defiance mirrors Fielder’s own performance art, blurring the lines between who he is and the character he plays, keeping audiences guessing about the authenticity of both figures.
Early in the filming, a controversial profile in The New York Times depicted Holmes as an innocent mother, igniting backlash. Ironically, both she and her husband, Billy Evans, became irate over how she was portrayed, arguing that her words were misrepresented. When asked to prove her claims about the accuracy of the reporting, Evans fails to provide any evidence. This dynamic sets the stage for a film that explores the many personas both Holmes and Evans have created in the public eye.
The Performance of Reality
After Holmes begins her sentence, Fielder is left grappling with footage and the remnants of a complex encounter. He invites Amanda Seyfried, who portrayed Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout,” to help dissect their strange collaboration. In a poignant moment, they watch a scene depicting Holmes’s tumultuous relationship with ex-partner Sunny Balwani. Witnessing her own dramatization prompts Holmes to cry, exposing the layers of self-representation in both her life and in the dramatizations about it.
Seyfried’s involvement adds another layer to the exploration of illustration versus reality. As she helps Fielder recreate Holmes’s dialogue, her perspective shifts, revealing the complexity of Holmes’s situation. At one point, Seyfried recites lines written about Holmes, only to break character upon realizing, “I didn’t do that. She did that to herself.” This statement encapsulates the ongoing debate regarding personal accountability versus external perception.
A Constellation of Colliding Personas
The resulting documentary illustrates a tapestry of identities. Fielder, Seyfried, and Holmes all participate in a performance that simultaneously reveals and obscures the truth. Evans’s behavior during the film is often baffling; his decisions could be interpreted as intentional theatrics aimed at garnering sympathy for Holmes, positioning her as a victim manipulated by her surroundings. Such portrayals complicate the viewer’s ability to discern truth from fabrication in a story already steeped in falsehoods.
While viewers witness Fielder attempting to accurately depict his memories of conversations with Holmes, the documentation becomes an exercise in interpretation. As he and Seyfried rehearse, they navigate the blurry boundaries between representation and reality, ultimately leading viewers to reflect on the nature of truth, belief, and deception in both public and private life.
