Is Nathan Fielder cocky or insecure? A conniving prankster or a hapless do-gooder? His hard-to-read demeanor is central to his comedy, as subjects and audiences try to parse his sincerity, leading to nervous giggles. Fielder directed the highly anticipated documentary "You Can See Everything," following disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes before her imprisonment for fraud. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and stirred intense buzz. Fielder's work often blends documentarian practices with humor, blurring reality and fiction. Before seeing "Everything," here's a guide to Fielder's other works.
"Nathan for You" streams on HBO Max, Hulu, and Paramount Plus. Starting as "Nathan on Your Side" on the Canadian comedy program "This Hour Has 22 Minutes," Fielder created outlandish plans to help small businesses. Highlights include a frozen yogurt shop debuting an excrement flavor and the "Dumb Starbucks" rebrand that made national news, with some speculating Banksy was behind it. The show established Fielder's awkward persona and knack for committing wholeheartedly to ridiculous bits.
"The Rehearsal" on HBO Max combined docu-comedy elements with an HBO-size budget. Fielder helped people prepare for difficult moments through intricate staged rehearsals, including a full-scale replica of a Brooklyn bar and a robot baby. The show constantly toyed with reality, revealing truths as rehearsals directed by Fielder.
"The Curse" on Paramount+ marked Fielder's first pure fiction venture, co-created with Benny Safdie. This twisty drama-thriller-horror-cringe hybrid represents his continued experimentation with genre and form.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing