A24 documentary offers rare look at Elizabeth Holmes' final weeks before prison

A new documentary slated for release next month provides a rare view of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes during the last month before she entered a federal correctional facility. The trailer, shown at the Telluride Film Festival, depicts Holmes speaking with filmmaker Nathan Fielder, repeatedly assuring him that she is not deceiving him. Holmes says, "I’m not that person, I can promise you that. I don’t have anything to deceive you on. I’m engaging with you as a human being. Why would I deceive you? There's no reason for me to do that."

Fielder responds, "OK. Alright. OK, good chat… You're being real right now?" Holmes replies, "I’m always being real." The film, produced by A24, notes that Holmes invited a skeptical crew to document her life 34 days before she reported to prison. According to the studio’s synopsis, the project evolves from an intimate portrait into a broader examination of her recent activities.

The documentary also includes discussions between Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, about plans for a new venture described as a "new and improved Theranos." After the screening, Fielder said he repeatedly offered Holmes and Evans the chance to stop filming and expressed ongoing difficulty understanding his experience. Holmes, 42, was convicted in January 2022 on one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and three counts of fraud related to false claims about Theranos' blood-testing technology. She was originally sentenced to more than 11 years, with a one-year reduction granted in March, and is currently incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas.