‘You Can See Everything’ Aims for Oscar History with Ambitious Campaign

Avatar photoRobert Milaković
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Few films enter awards season with the level of intrigue that surrounds this one. It premiered as a surprise secret screening, and the excitement has only intensified since then. Now, the awards campaign for A24’s unexpected documentary is as bold as the film itself.

Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s three-hour exploration of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes made its debut at the Telluride Film Festival in September. Filmed largely in secret over three years, production began just 34 days before Holmes was set to report to federal prison. After she begins her sentence, the film alters its structure and includes reenactments, a technique Fielder previously employed in ‘The Rehearsal’.

The documentary opened in limited release on October 16 and will expand nationwide on October 23. A24 has outlined its ambitious aspirations, submitting ‘You Can See Everything’ for Oscar consideration in categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Documentary Feature, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, and Best Original Score.

Historically, no documentary has ever been nominated for Best Picture. A24 is striving for the film to be recognized in this category, which would mark a first in Oscar history. Deadline suggests that Best Picture might even be a more achievable goal than Documentary Feature, a category that has increasingly embraced international films.

Oscar analysts are already weighing in. Gold Derby ranks the film 11th among potential Best Picture contenders, while Kalshi traders estimate a 16% chance of winning, trailing ‘The Odyssey’ at 47% and ‘The Black Ball’ at 19%. Critics have responded positively, with one outlet giving it a perfect score of 10 out of 10.

The category that could truly break new ground is Best Supporting Actress. Deadline notes that no actor has ever received a nomination for appearing in a documentary in the 99-year history of the Academy Awards. Academy rules only disallow uncredited performances, and the film’s reenactment actors, including Amanda Seyfried, are credited in the end credits.

Seyfried, who portrayed Holmes in Hulu’s ‘The Dropout’, was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Mank’. Gold Derby points out that she and the film cannot qualify for precursor awards like the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, which only accept scripted films. This makes the Critics Choice Association one of the few early opportunities for her work to be acknowledged.

Screenshot 2026 10 16 at 21 13 19 You Can See Everything Rotten Tomatoes

The technical categories are a significant part of the campaign. The film was shot by David Bolen in a 4:3 aspect ratio using long zoom lenses, allowing tense moments to linger. Deadline also highlights Ari Balouzian’s haunting score and Adam Locke-Norton’s editing as deserving of strong recognition.

Reviews support the notion that this is not a conventional documentary. Variety’s chief film critic described it as a unique blend of reality television and psychodrama, while another critic likened its intricate structure to Orson Welles’ ‘F for Fake’. This combination of narrative and nonfiction makes it a challenging sell for some voters but an exhilarating prospect for others.

The road ahead is not without obstacles. Variety reports that BAFTA may not embrace the film, and it lacks a credited screenplay, making it ineligible for the Oscars’ original or adapted screenplay categories. The Directors Guild is open to it in both major categories, and the Producers Guild will consider it for both theatrical and documentary awards, while the American Society of Cinematographers will only accept it as a documentary.

Meanwhile, the Critics Choice Association has already nominated it for five awards at its separate Documentary Awards ceremony on November 8, including Best Documentary Feature. Early signs of support are emerging, but the competition is fierce, and the Academy’s documentary branch can be unpredictable.

Regardless of the outcome, this push reflects A24’s belief that audiences and voters are ready for something unconventional. The film’s mix of access, performance, and reenactment has left many viewers questioning what is real, which is part of its appeal.

For an industry seeking fresh energy, a three-hour documentary about Elizabeth Holmes may be just the disruptor the Oscars need. Even a single nomination outside the documentary category would rewrite the history books.

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