It's rare for a nearly three-hour documentary to become a cultural phenomenon, but You Can See Everything has done just that. Nathan Fielder's latest project, co-directed with Lance Oppenheim, starts as a portrait of Elizabeth Holmes but quickly spirals into something far more elusive. It's patient, thought-provoking, and refuses to fit neatly into any genre—and that's exactly why audiences can't stop talking about it.
If you're still unpacking its layers, you're not alone. The film's blend of documentary, performance, and meta-commentary has a lineage in cinema that's just as strange and rewarding. Here are 10 movies that share that same DNA—each one a puzzle box that rewards those who love to question what they're watching.
Orson Welles' Magic Trick
F for Fake (1973) is Orson Welles at his most mischievous. Known for Citizen Kane and the infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast, Welles here crafts a documentary that's less about facts and more about the thrill of deception. It's a feature-length magic trick, exploring art forgery and the nature of truth, all while pulling the rug out from under the viewer. The result is as layered and elusive as You Can See Everything, and just as rewarding.
Blurring the Line Between Fact and Fiction
Close-Up (1990) is a film that defies easy description. It's a docudrama about a man who impersonated a famous filmmaker, but it's presented in a way that makes you question what's real and what's staged. The real people play themselves, reenacting events that may or may not have happened. It's a meditation on identity and the art of cinema that feels decades ahead of its time.
Similarly, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017) is a documentary about a movie about a comedian. Jim Carrey's method acting as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon is the subject, but the layers go deeper: Kaufman himself was a performance artist who blurred his own identity. The result is a dizzying hall of mirrors that will leave you questioning where one persona ends and another begins.
Surreal and Unclassifiable
Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg (2007) is a fever dream of a documentary, blending personal history with surreal fantasy. It's part memoir, part city symphony, and part ghost story, all wrapped in a style that feels like a lost silent film. If you're looking for something that defies categorization, this is it.
Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth's The Five Obstructions (2003) is a playful yet challenging experiment. Von Trier challenges Leth to remake his short film five times, each with absurd restrictions. It's a film about creativity and constraint, and it's surprisingly funny for a von Trier project. For fans of You Can See Everything, it's a fascinating look at how rules can spark invention.
More Mind-Bending Picks
- Synecdoche, New York (2008) – Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut is a sprawling, existential puzzle about a theater director who builds a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse. It's a film that rewards multiple viewings.
- The Act of Killing (2012) – This documentary has subjects reenact their own crimes, blurring the line between memory and performance in a way that's both disturbing and profound.
- Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) – Banksy's prankster documentary about street art is a meta-commentary on authenticity and hype.
- Stories We Tell (2012) – Sarah Polley's family documentary uses reenactments and interviews to explore how memory shapes our personal narratives.
- David Lynch: The Art Life (2016) – A more straightforward documentary, but Lynch's own storytelling makes it feel like a surrealist journey.
These films, like You Can See Everything, are not just movies—they're experiences that linger. They challenge the way we watch, and they remind us that the line between reality and fiction is often thinner than we think. If you're hungry for more, check out our weekend watchlist for other thought-provoking picks, or dive into Netflix's latest offerings for a dose of cinematic reality-bending.
