Elizabeth Holmes faces an 11-year prison sentence after her blood-testing startup Theranos collapsed as a massive fraud, with victims losing nearly half a billion dollars.
Pirms reporting to prison, Holmes invited directors to film her side of the story, resulting in a documentary that has achieved a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The documentary, titled The Seeing Eye, opened secretly at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival in the United States, where attendees surrendered their mobile phones to prevent leaks. The film was directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim.
Thirty-four days before Holmes began serving her prison sentence, she and her partner Billy Evans opened their home doors to the documentary filmmakers. The film features Amanda Seyfried, who previously portrayed Holmes in the television series The Dropout.
“I was captivated by the fascinating close-ups and the wisdom of both directors, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim,” Uldis Cekulis told Diena. Film producer Uldis Cekulis highlighted Fielder’s ability to listen and ask precise questions.
“A film whose characters are either aliens or the most polished psychopaths and manipulators in the world,” Uģis Olte told Diena. Film director Uģis Olte noted the contrast between the subjects and the filmmakers’ methodical approach.
At its peak, the company was valued at $9 billion and employed over 800 workers, backed by prominent figures like former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, who joined the board in 2011. Forbes once listed her at number 110 on its list of youngest self-made billionaires.
The downfall began after months of investigation by Wall Street Journal journalist John Carreyrou. Holmes and her former partner Ramesh “Sunny” Balvani were subsequently convicted of defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Holmes has now submitted a clemency petition to President Donald Trump while serving her sentence.
Holmes founded Theranos in 2003 when she was 19 years old, initially aiming to revolutionize healthcare diagnostics using micro-samples of blood.
The documentary The Seeing Eye generated substantial ticket sales against its production budget, as reported by Diena.
The film was directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, and features actress Amanda Seyfried reprising her role alongside Holmes in documentary segments.