SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for “You Can See Everything,” in theaters now.
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s “You Can See Everything” won’t be in the running for the top prize at this season’s Director’s Guild of America Awards.
A representative of the DGA confirmed Variety that the A24 documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will compete only in the Outstanding Directorial Achievement category in the documentary category and will not be considered for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Motion Picture Feature Film, the award that has aligned with the Academy Award for Best Director for almost every year since 1949.
The guild referenced this in its own regulations, which explain the entry criteria for the Cinema Feature Film Award as follows: “re-releases, animated films and documentaries are not eligible.” This line in the rulebook seems to leave no room for a hybrid or exception.
A24 and several rewards strategists had hoped to circumvent the rankings. The thinking within the studio and among consultants was that the film’s unusual construction, which blurs the line between nonfiction and staged narrative, might have allowed the guild to treat it as both a feature and a documentary. The argument gained momentum after Amanda Seyfried, who appears in the film and previously won an Emmy for playing Holmes in the Hulu limited series “The Dropout,” was positioned for Oscar acting consideration for supporting actress.
The DGA sees things differently. The guild ranks films based on how they are produced and submitted, and “You Can See Everything” is a documentary by that measure, regardless of how other awards bodies or voting blocs choose to interpret it.
The decision is important because the DGA Feature Film Award is one of the most reliable indicators of the Academy Awards. Only eight times in the history of the guild has the DGA winner failed to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Without a chance to win this award, the film loses a key part of its pioneering momentum, although a documentary win at the guild could further strengthen its position in the Academy’s documentary feature and best picture, a category in which no nonfiction film has ever been nominated.
The 174-minute film was released in theaters on October 16 and garnered some of the year’s most rave reviews and a stellar box office, with critics and audiences debating whether to classify it as a traditional documentary, a concept akin to reality TV, or something entirely new.
A24 and its strategists remain in active conversation with other guilds and awards bodies, including BAFTA, SAG-AFTRA and the Golden Globes, about how a film like “You Can See Everything” should be ranked.
There is still hope that it will be adopted across the board at the Oscars.
In addition to being eligible for Best Documentary Feature at the 99th Academy Awards, the film will also be submitted as seen on the A24 awards site: Best Picture (Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, Tatiana Bears, Maggie Ambrose and Jack Davis), Director (Fielder and Oppenheim), Supporting Actress (Seyfried), Supporting Actor (Christopher Abbott), Production Design (Alex DiGerlando and Rebecca Meis), cinematography (David Bolen), costume design (Katina). Danabassis), film editing (Adam Locke-Norton), makeup and hair (Stephanie Pasicov and Kerrie Smith), sound (Paul Hsu and Richard Carlos) and original music (Ari Balouzian).
Nominations for the 79th edition of the DGA Awards will be announced in January.
A24 declined to comment.
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