‘Everyone here wants to have sex with Nathan Fielder’

Nathan Fielder’s Unexpected Appeal Is Becoming Part of the Conversation Around “You Can See Everything”

Earthguardiansonline.com – For many viewers, the lasting image from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s documentary “You Can See Everything” is not simply its examination of Elizabeth Holmes. It is a quiet ocean scene in which Fielder, wearing briefs, swims alongside Holmes — an image that has helped fuel an unusually fervent response to the filmmaker.

Joanie Montgomery, a 33-year-old drag performer from Philadelphia known as Diva Baby, said the moment stayed with her after seeing the film last weekend.

“It was very intimate, and he looked really beautiful. I need him so bad. I don’t know what else to say.”

The documentary has become a major word-of-mouth success, drawing millions at the box office, receiving widespread critical acclaim and attracting awards-season attention. Alongside discussion of its filmmaking and its subjects, another reaction has spread across theaters and social platforms: audiences are increasingly describing Fielder as a sex symbol.

A New Audience for an Unconventional Leading Man

The response may seem surprising to viewers familiar with Fielder’s earlier work, where his tall, awkward screen presence and meticulously controlled comedy often positioned him as an uneasy observer rather than a conventional romantic figure. But “You Can See Everything” has prompted many people to see him differently.

Dallas, a 28-year-old New York writer who requested that only her first name be used, said she had not entered the theater with any particular attraction to Fielder. By the end of the screening, that had changed.

“I was blown away by the film, but also now feel deeply affectionate towards Nathan Fielder.”

“I walked out of the theater being like, ‘I have competition because I want to have sex with Nathan Fielder and everyone here wants to have sex with Nathan Fielder.’”

Much of the film’s power, viewers say, comes from its visual closeness. Its extended, tightly framed shots ask the audience to study faces, pauses and glances for long stretches. Dallas described the experience as creating an unusual sense of proximity.

“The movie is all extreme close-up shots of everyone’s face for three hours straight, and so it was almost this illusion of what it would feel like to like be close to him or be in the room with him. I found myself really loving that feeling.”

That intimacy may help explain why some audience members are discussing Fielder’s appearance, composure and manner with an enthusiasm that has become a defining side conversation around the film.

Why the Film’s Tension Resonates

Social-media posts about “You Can See Everything” have focused on Fielder’s restrained confidence. Some viewers have characterized him as calm but assertive, while others have called him “snuggleable.” The debate has also inspired a familiar question about the female gaze: why can an unconventional, cerebral and emotionally guarded presence be intensely appealing?

Sophia, a 20-year-old student at the University of Toronto, said Fielder’s apparent deliberation is part of the attraction.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on in the background of his mind. Like, there’s this whole control panel room, carefully thinking of what to say. I think that’s definitely very attractive.”

The idea is not entirely new. When “The Rehearsal” arrived on HBO in 2022, Fielder’s mixture of intelligence, vulnerability and control had already prompted discussion of his unexpected appeal. Fans at the time also pointed to his voice, competence and readiness to expose or embarrass himself on camera. Merchandise featuring Fielder’s face has been available for years, suggesting that the audience for this version of his persona existed before the documentary’s release.

“You Can See Everything,” however, appears to have widened that audience. The movie’s scale and cultural visibility have introduced Fielder to viewers who may not have followed his previous work, while its formal style invites a more intimate reading of his behavior onscreen.

Four People, Charged Silences

Audience members have also responded to the chemistry among the documentary’s central figures: Fielder, Holmes, Holmes’ partner Billy Evans and actor Amanda Seyfried. The film and its short teaser have been noted for moments of lingering silence, sustained eye contact and playful but probing exchanges among the four.

For some viewers, those interactions generate a tension that competes with the documentary’s broader themes. One sequence includes Evans showering nude in front of Fielder and the production crew. Another places Seyfried and Fielder in an intimate conversation beside a fireplace. The scenes have encouraged viewers to read the film’s emotional dynamics as charged as well as observational.

Montgomery said she found herself concentrating less on the movie’s questions about performance and manipulation than on the relationships unfolding onscreen.

“I didn’t really get to sink into the other themes of ‘who’s playing who’ because I just wanted them all to kiss.”

She also pointed to a scene in which Fielder stays at Holmes and Evans’ home and discovers that no mattress has been prepared for him. To Montgomery, the moment carried the suggestion that he might share the couple’s bed — something the three do at one point while watching television.

Whether viewers interpret those scenes as flirtation, closeness or simply documentary discomfort, the reaction reflects the movie’s ability to leave room for competing readings. “You Can See Everything” has sparked discussion of celebrity, performance, intimacy and control. It has also made Fielder himself an unexpected object of fascination, proving that a carefully composed silence can sometimes make as much of an impression as a punchline.