Can You Can See Everything’s Amanda Seyfried win an acting Oscar?
An awards update clarifies whether You Can See Everything’s surprise star can win an acting Oscar, just as the documentary eyes an unprecedented Best Picture run.
Right, so here’s one to keep an eye on if you like Oscar oddities. You Can See Everything is a documentary that’s quietly making a bit of awards history — not just for what it’s about, but for the way it’s made.
You Can See Everything arrives in cinemas this year with eligibility for both Best Picture and Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards.
This doc focuses on Elizabeth Holmes's final days before heading off to prison, which by itself would be enough to draw in the true-crime crowd. But things get more interesting: director Nathan Fielder (yes, that Nathan Fielder) couldn’t actually film one key scene he wanted for the film. So what did he do? He brought in Amanda Seyfried — who played Holmes in The Dropout — along with Christopher Abbott, to stage a dramatic re-enactment. That’s right: it’s a documentary, but it suddenly veers into drama, with Seyfried both acting in and interrogating elements of her own performance, late in the runtime.
Acting Oscar for a Doc?
This unusual hybrid may have opened the door to something the Oscars have never done before: a potential Best Supporting Actress nod for Seyfried off the back of her role in a non-fiction film. A24 (who else?) are apparently toying with the idea, since there’s no Academy rule that actually blocks such a move — and, let's be honest, the chance to make Oscar history is pretty seductive for a studio like them. At the moment, it’s all still being weighed up, but if they go for it, Seyfried could be vying for an Oscar for, technically, playing an actor playing a fraudster inside a doc.
What Other Nominations?
It's not just Best Supporting Actress up for grabs. You Can See Everything could also wind up in the usual documentary categories, including Best Documentary Feature and possibly even Best Picture itself (which no doc has ever cracked, for the record). There’s chat about possible recognition in directing, cinematography, editing, and original soundtrack as well — basically, if the Academy can fit it onto a ballot, someone's suggested this film for it.
The film is out in cinemas now, with direction shared by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, and backing courtesy of A24, To Be Formed, and Blow Out Productions.