You Can See Everything Is Heading For A Historic Oscars Accomplishment

Published Oct 19, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. The Oscars 2027 have a major new contender in Best Picture, as You Can See Everything's release has put it on track to make history. The 2026 documentary feature explores Elizabeth Holmes' final days with her family before going to prison, with the film taking unexpected twists and turns from that point forward to continue examining who she is, her psychology, and the perception of Theranos' founder. You Can See Everything comes from acclaimed documentarian Lance Oppenheim and filmmaker Nathan Fielder. Released by A24, the documentary was made in secret for years before bursting onto the scene in 2026 with a secret, surprise debut at Telluride. That is where the one-of-a-kind, reality-bending documentary first made waves, and the rapturous reception continued through more festival showings and its theatrical debut on October 16. Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order. The film boasts near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores, sitting at 99% on the Tomatometer and 98% on the Popcornmeter as of this writing. You Can See Everything reviews have called it a true masterpiece. And while documentaries are often relegated to only contending for an Oscar in Best Documentary Feature Film, that no longer appears to be the cap on its award season potential. You Can See Everything is earning buzz to be one of the ten movies nominated for the Oscars 2027 Best Picture category. Support is increasing for this idea now that the movie is capturing the attention of people all around. This potential outcome would be a historic moment for documentaries in Best Picture and the Oscars at large. You Can See Everything Could Become The First Documentary Nominated For Best Picture In the previous 98 years of the Academy Awards, no documentary has ever been nominated for Best Picture. This is despite the Academy having the Best Documentary category since 1942. So, even though hundreds of documentaries have been nominated for Oscars, You Can See Everything is trying to become the first to earn a spot for Best Picture. Documentaries have been represented at the Oscars outside Best Documentary, even if none have made it to the biggest category. Docs have earned recognition in Best International Feature Film, Best Original Song, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Animated Feature. The closest a documentary has come to Best Picture was in 1927 for the 1st Academy Awards. The silent doc Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness was nominated for Best Unique and Artistic Picture, a secondary Best Picture-like category, which was dropped as a category after only two years. There is seemingly no rule preventing You Can See Everything from earning such a historic nomination, either. The combination of documenting real-life and reenacting moments captured off camera would not restrict Academy voters from recognizing Oppenheim and Fielder's film in the Documentary category and elsewhere. By definition, the Academy's rules define a documentary as: An eligible documentary film is defined as a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic, or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion, or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction. You Can See Everything meets those criteria, and it has already had a qualifying theatrical release. While the Documentary Branch could ultimately turn a blind eye to a film that blurs the line of fact and fiction, as well as truth and perception, the outside-the-box approach is exactly why Fielder and Oppenheim's movie could be more widely appreciated and earn the historic Best Picture nomination early next year. You Can See Everything May Contend In Multiple Other Non-Documentary Oscars Categories Best Picture isn't the only way You Can See Everything could make Oscars history, as the film could become a contender in several other categories. Most Best Picture-nominated movies have nominations in at least a few other categories. You Can See Everything likely won't be among this year's 10-film lineup if its only other nomination is in Best Documentary. The buzziest nomination that could come the film's way is with the Oscars 2027 Best Supporting Actress category. The movie has an A-list star who enters the second half of the film, and she helps elevate the movie in several ways. It would not be a total surprise if the actress, who is no stranger to the Oscars, got another acting nomination for her part in bringing You Can See Everything's second half to life. This would mark the first time someone in a documentary was nominated for an acting award. It's not inconceivable to think Oppenheim and Fielder could even find a place in the Oscars 2027 Best Director race. The Director Branch often looks beyond traditional films to honor groundbreaking work. The way Oppenheim and Fielder have changed the perception of what a documentary can be with their distinct directorial choices is worth celebrating. They would become the first documentary directors nominated in Best Director. Elsewhere, You Can See Everything could even score nominations in Best Film Editing and Best Original Score depending on how welcoming Academy members are to the film. Those would be safer bets based on the past. You Can See Everything's Oscar Chances Look Great After Its Celebrated Debut The greatness within You Can See Everything is reason enough for Oscar voters to get on board to support the film, but movies like this also need a cultural push to really fortify themselves as part of the award season. It would have been much easier for the Academy to largely ignore the doc if it only had critical acclaim. You Can See Everything's box office debut changes things. The movie opened to $15 million in just 855 theaters domestically, giving it a per-screen average of over $17K. That makes it one of the biggest debuts ever for a documentary, signaling how A24 successfully turned the nearly 3-hour doc into something audiences couldn't wait to see. That level of interest, paired with the overwhelmingly positive reactions, makes You Can See Everything one of the movies of the year. With it sure to become an increasingly popular topic due to how it invites analysis and discussion, the movie shouldn't fade from conversations any time soon. After all, You Can See Everything is Letterboxd's highest-rated movie ever as a result of how enthralled audiences have been. A24 must know that they have a special film on their hands. While they have movies like Club Kid and The Debut still to come and campaign for, as well as The Drama, The Invite, and Tony from earlier to support, You Can See Everything has enough momentum to make Oscar history with the right awards season strategy. Don't Count Out You Can See Everything Winning Best Picture Either Getting a Best Picture nomination alone would be massive for You Can See Everything. However, it would be foolish to rule out the chance of it being the winner come March 14, 2027. It has rave reviews, strong box office reception, star power, a topical story, and social buzz to pull off one of the greatest Best Picture wins in Oscars history. Right now, The Odyssey is the clear favorite, with Netflix's La Bola Negra, Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three, and Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine among the biggest contenders. But with the Academy rewarding Oppenheimer handsomely a few years ago, there could be less urgency to crown Christopher Nolan's new movie in the same way. The biggest threat to The Odyssey was always a movie that could enter the mix and really get audiences talking. You Can See Me Everything has a fraction of The Odyssey's scale or star power and none of the spectacle, but it's equally invigorating. At the very least, the documentary should be taken seriously as a challenger to earn a Best Picture nomination, and possibly win it all, when the Oscars 2027 roll around. Release Date October 16, 2026 Runtime 174 minutes Director Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim Producers Tatiana Bears, Maggie Ambrose, Jack Davis, Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim Cast