Katie Stelmanis' 2008 album Join Us matched her operatic voice with plaintive keys and glowing beats, a very arch and formal LP cut and paste from Kate Bush, Cabaret Voltaire, and classical music. That collage begged the question: Was this some sort of art school project, or was she serious? With new band Austra, the Toronto musician has a clearer vision of electronica.
A classically trained opera singer, Stelmanis uses her incredible vibrato to maximum effect, which can be a bit grating at times, but she definitely has control over it.
The fivepiece band, with linchpin drummer Maya Postepski, hit singles “Lose It” and “Beat and Pulse,” both from debut LP Feel It Break (Domino), Stelmanis' Stevie Nicks incantations and long tapestry kaftan adding to the witchy disco vibe.
“Lose It” sounds club-ready, an anthem for something and nothing; stylish and catchy, like something you'd hear in a Forever 21. Not all of Austra's jams were so anthemic, though—some were more intricate and melodramatic, synth and beat tumbling down repetitive Italo-disco inclines.
They lost some speed on the more ballad-y fare, but in this era of synth culture redux, they're at least trying to recontextualize it. The costumed backup singers (and twin sisters) harmonizing with Stelmanis gave the set a more primal feel, without the smeared mascara and ripped fishnets—electronic music expertly dug up through punk roots.
Nathan Fielder and Elizabeth Holmes in You Can See Everything.
Elizabeth Holmes faced one of the most public downfalls in recent history after she was accused of defrauding investors in her health technology company, Theranos. Her subsequent indictment and conviction drew the interest of many, including comedian, actor, and filmmaker Nathan Fielder. Fielder somehow convinced Holmes and her husband, Billy Evans, to make a documentary about her final days of freedom, called You Can See Everything.
It’s not immediately clear why Fielder — who only has one previous feature-length documentary to his credit — is interested in profiling Holmes, but the approach that he and co-director Lance Oppenheim (Primetime) take is one that puts Fielder in the spotlight as much as her or Evans. Fielder looms over the couple — sometimes literally, sometimes from afar — as they care for their children, make meals, try to re-establish business relationships, and prepare for Holmes’ prison sentence, which is due to start about a month after the film begins in 2023.
Fielder quizzes Holmes and Evans about predictable subjects — such as how Theranos worked, her relationship with COO Sunny Balwani, and her conviction — and ones that are slightly off-kilter, including the miniseries The Dropout, which dramatized Holmes’ rise and fall. He is met with seeming openness by both of them — the title of the movie is uttered by Holmes at one point — but there are times when their idea of transparency doesn’t jibe with Fielder’s expectations.
Through it all, the quirky reputation that Fielder has from TV shows like Nathan for You, The Curse, and The Rehearsal colors his participation, as well. He appears sincere, if surprisingly intense, in his questioning, but there are more than a few moments where it’s fair to wonder if the whole thing is an act of performance art. That suspicion grows in the second half of the nearly three-hour film as Fielder and Oppenheim go down roads that stretch the definition of what a documentary is or can be.
The film is utterly fascinating as the filmmakers go on what seems to be a full-on exploration of the meaning of truth. Holmes and Evans, either intentionally or unintentionally, carry on conversations with Fielder with wide-open, unblinking eyes, something that conveys honesty and creepiness in equal measure. Fielder meets them with squinting expressions, looking like he’s trying to determine how candid they’re actually being.
One of the biggest things the film reveals (or does it?) is that — if she’s not a sociopath — Holmes might be someone who’s either oblivious or naive. As cryptic or strange as she can be in words and actions, Evans is even more so, and as the film progresses, his motives and ideas are called into question. Control over the narrative of the film wobbles back-and-forth between Fielder, Holmes, and Evans, and even at the end it’s unclear whose perspective has truly won out.
There is no way to accurately get across what it’s like to watch You Can See Everything for the first time. The motives of everyone involved are up in the air, resulting in a roller coaster ride that’s full of astonishment, laughs, and a number of surprises. It’s an audacious film that can’t be categorized, one that will challenge the thinking of voters when it comes time for awards season.
---
You Can See Everything opens in theaters on October 16.