What's happened
Documents the renewed scrutiny around Elizabeth Holmes following the Telluride premiere and the limited footage revealing how the Theranos saga continues to shape Silicon Valley’s narrative, as directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim chronicle the months leading to her prison reporting.
What's behind the headline?
The Critical Lens
- The film challenges the audience to consider how access shapes memory. Elizabeth Holmes remains a polarising figure, and the documentary prompts questions about who controls the narrative around high-profile corporate fraud.
- The project is driving a larger conversation about the ethics of surveillance and consent in documentary filmmaking, especially when subjects are intensely private yet publicly infamous.
- Expect continued debate over whether intimate filming reveals truth or manufactures ambiguity. This will influence how studios approach access in high-profile cases.
Why it matters
- Audiences are watching a real-time case study in how media, fame, and legal proceedings intersect. The film is a touchstone for discussions about accountability and the limits of documentary access.
- The narrative now extends beyond the courtroom into a broader discussion about the ethics of storytelling in the age of streaming and viral clips.
How we got here
The project began with Telluride screenings and has evolved into a focal point in the Theranos story, now culminating in a broader cultural reckoning about journalism, consent, and the ethics of access to private figures. Holmes’s conviction and prison sentence have framed the film’s exploration of truth, performance, and power.
Our analysis
Business Insider UK, Independent, AP News all document premieres, interviews, and the filmmakers’ approach, highlighting divergent tones while preserving the central Holmes profile. The outlets show how different publishers frame the film’s access-driven storytelling.
Go deeper
- What new details about Holmes’s life are revealed in the film?
- How are the filmmakers balancing truth-telling with narrative entertainment?
- Will the documentary alter public perception of Theranos’s legacy?
More on these topics
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Theranos - Defunct American privately held health-technology company
Theranos Inc. () was an American privately held corporation that was touted as a breakthrough health technology company. Founded in 2003 by then 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos raised more than US$700 million from venture capitalists and private investors, resulting in a $9 billion valuation at its peak in 2013 and 2014. The company falsely claimed that it had devised blood tests that could be performed rapidly and accurately, while requiring very small amounts of blood, all using compact automated devices that the company had developed. A turning point came in 2015, when medical research professor John Ioannidis, and later, professor of clinical biochemistry Eleftherios Diamandis, along with investigative journalist John Carreyrou of The Wall Street Journal, questioned the validity of Theranos' technology. The company faced a string of legal and commercial challenges from medical authorities, investors, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), state attorneys general, former business partners, patients, and others. By June 2016, Forbes estimated that Holmes's personal net worth had dropped from $4.5 billion to...
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New York Film Festival - Annual film festival held every autumn in New York City
The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is an annual film festival held in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF is one of the longest-running and most prestigious film festivals in the United States. NYFF is usually centered on the non-competitive "Main Slate" section, which typically features 20 to 30 films, with additional sections for short films, experimental works, retrospectives and restorations. The current Artistic Director of the festival is Dennis Lim.
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Elizabeth Holmes - American biotechnology entrepreneur convicted of fraud
Elizabeth Anne Holmes (born February 3, 1984) is an American biotechnology entrepreneur who was convicted of fraud in connection with her blood-testing company, Theranos. The company's valuation soared after it claimed to have revolutionized blood testing
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Nathan Fielder - Canadian writer
Nathan Joseph Fielder is a Canadian writer, comedian, actor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating and starring in the Comedy Central show Nathan for You.
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Lance Oppenheim - American filmmaker
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Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 million visitors annually.
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Telluride Film Festival - Film festival
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Robert Pattinson - Actor
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Alice Tully Hall - Performing arts theater in New York City, New York
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Billy Evans - Baseball umpire and executive
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