Who is Nathan Fielder? A guide to the mad genius behind the hot new Elizabeth Holmes doc

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Set us as preferred If you happened to catch the new documentary “You Can See Everything,” you probably left the theater with a lot of questions.“What the hell did I just watch?” was likely your initial thought, followed by, “What brilliant mind hatched such a subversive, unpredictable project?” To which I say: Welcome to the world of Nathan Fielder.The film, co-directed by Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, ostensibly follows disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the 34 days before her prison sentence begins.

But as the Canadian comic goes eye-to-eye with Holmes, it morphs into much more — including a character study of both its subject and its interviewer.Fielder is well-known to comedy fans for his docuseries “The Rehearsal” and “Nathan for You,” where he honed his brand of awkward absurdity.But those unfamiliar with his surreal talk show appearances, Dumb Starbucks or Door City, here’s a primer on the origin and rise of Fielder.‘You Can See Everything’ raises all sorts of questions about truth, lies and documentary filmmaking, but it skirts the most obvious mystery: In a world full of con artists, fraudsters and liars, why can’t we quit Elizabeth Holmes?Fielder was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, and started comedy at a young age.

He was in a school improv group alongside another future multi-hyphenate, Seth Rogen.After attending business school, he dabbled in comedy.

He began uploading shorts to his YouTube channel in early 2006 — and it’s a credit to his self-effacing style that they’re still online today.Early musical shorts like “Morning Walk” and “Danielleanika” lean into his stoic, awkward persona as he pretends to rap or sing a passionate love song.

These led to slightly more traditional sketches, such as “Ronald Shoub,” an infomercial parody in which he po...