STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We have a review of a documentary on Elizabeth Holmes. She's in prison for defrauding investors who put money into her blood-testing company, Theranos. Just before going behind bars, Holmes let comedian Nathan Fielder into her house with a film crew. And the result is the documentary called "You Can See Everything."
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING")
NATHAN FIELDER: You really feel you did nothing wrong?
ELIZABETH HOLMES: I did not.
FIELDER: So where did things get lost? Like, how are you where you are right now?
HOLMES: I wish I knew, you know? I don't know. I don't feel like I understand that.
INSKEEP: The film is out this week, and Ronald Young Jr. has seen it. He's a frequent contributor to NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast and creator of the podcast "Leaving The Theater," which he has now done. So, Ronald, what do you think?
RONALD YOUNG JR: I liked it. I think it is a very, very - I would say in-depth on one question about Elizabeth Holmes. And that is, does she understand what lying is, and is she a liar? I feel like they stick to that point for the majority of the documentary, and both Lance Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder did a very good job of teasing it out.
INSKEEP: Do I understand the concept here? Every waking hour, even sleeping hours, there are cameras in this house following people around?
YOUNG: Yes. In the weeks leading up to her going away to prison, Nathan Fielder is in her house. The camera crew is in her house. They are following her, her two children - she had recently had a baby - and her partner, Billy Evans. They're asking questions. They are literally the third wheel (laughter) in this relationship for the duration of time before she goes to prison.
INSKEEP: Part of what's wild here is the person she chose to give this access to. I - before we were starting this interview, I was trying to think about whether comedian is even the right word to describe Nathan Fielder and what he does. For those who aren't familiar, what does he do?
YOUNG: Nathan Fielder is billed as a filmmaker, writer and comedian. His first show, "Nathan For You," was on Comedy Central. At the time that they were making these shows, it kind of fit into the rest of the slate of shows on Comedy Central, which were more jokey, prank-driven, just meant to be kind of funny and quirky and weird. And he fits right into that niche because he's doing what he describes in "You Can See Everything" as business scams. But they're thinly veiled as - he is giving business advice to business owners. But then after that, kind of chaos and high jinks automatically ensue. But he's narrating this as if it's a straight read, as if it's local journalism that he's doing.
INSKEEP: Now, Lance Oppenheim co-directed the movie with Fielder. And A Martínez recently spoke with him. He said this.
LANCE OPPENHEIM: Everyone had taken away something different from even these just mundane, everyday interactions. And so I really want people to have that same experience and to help us decode it and help us make sense of what went down there.
INSKEEP: OK. So you had that opportunity to try to make sense of it. Do you feel, after all those hours and hours of filming, that you understand better who Elizabeth Holmes is and what she did?
YOUNG: I don't know if I understand Elizabeth Holmes better. But I do understand Nathan Fielder's perspective on Elizabeth Holmes a little bit better because, again, he was focused on one question - does she understand what lying is, and is she a liar? And I think we get to the root of that pretty well through the documentary.
INSKEEP: Do you buy the hype around this, that people who've seen it have said - I've never seen such a documentary. This should win an Oscar. It's incredible?
YOUNG: Yes. I agree with all of that. I think what they've done here is brilliant. Lance Oppenheim brings the documentary chops. And Nathan Fielder is pushing with questions that I would definitely want to know from Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans.
INSKEEP: Ronald Young Jr., thanks so much.
YOUNG: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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