The Elizabeth Holmes documentary has deep San Diego ties
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Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans at a hearing in 2023 in San Jose. Photo: Philip Pacheco/Getty Images
The genre-bending documentary "You Can See Everything" that's blowing minds across the country has strong local roots.
The big picture: In fact, "San Diego" is among the first words in the film, which documents Elizabeth Holmes' final 34 days before her 10-year prison sentence.
- Director Nathan Fielder lived with her and partner, San Diegan Billy Evans, in their Del Mar beachfront rental and filmed their most intimate moments and conversations there.
The intrigue: The Evans family has a long local history as owners of the Bahia and Catamaran resort hotels and The Lodge at Torrey Pines.
- Throughout the film, you see a lot of Evans (and I do mean a lot).
- But don't worry, the following is a spoiler-free layout of our local ties to one of America's most talked-about movies.
Catch up quick: Evans grew up in San Diego, attending Francis Parker School before graduating from MIT in 2015.
- He and Holmes met in the Bay Area in 2017, after Theranos was already engulfed in scandal.
- His grandparents, William and Anne Evans, founded Evans Hotels in 1953.
- The company is still run by Anne and her two children, Grace Evans Cherashore and Bill Evans (Billy Evans' father), according to the company's website.
What they're saying: Billy Evans has no ties to Evans Hotel, CEO Robert Gleason told Voice of San Diego in a statement.
- "(He) holds no ownership in the company, and is not in any way involved in the business," he said. "We treat family matters as private and won't comment on them. As this matter does not concern the business, Evans Hotels has no further comment."
Axios reached out to Billy Evans on LinkedIn, but he did not respond.
Billy Evans' parents are not in the film, but the family fortune is brought up.
- Evans tells Fielder he isn't worried about Holmes scamming him because "what could she possibly want from me?"
- "Well, isn't your family rich?" Fielder asks.
- "I think that there are a lot of different levels of wealth," Evans replies vaguely before ending the conversation and walking away.
Yes, but: Evans' parents did support Holmes during her trial.
- Bill Evans attended the trial in a baseball cap and Patagonia puffer jacket and told reporters he was a concerned observer named "Hanson," per NPR.
- He also unwrapped a large Rice Krispies Treat so loudly it disrupted courtroom proceedings, NPR reported.
- Reporters asked "Hanson" if he knew Holmes.
"Do I know her? Does anyone know her? What does it even mean to know someone these days?" he replied.
Evans' mother Susan Evans also submitted a letter supporting Holmes before her sentencing, per Yahoo News.
Holmes, Evans and their two young children lived in a small guard-gated Del Mar beachfront community before moving to Austin while Holmes serves her sentence.
- The movie shows them frequently at the beach and hanging out (cooking eggs, vigorously bouncing their baby and sleeping on bare mattresses) in the 2,200-square foot cottage.
- Spoiler warning: The ocean also plays a final, mind-bending pivotal role in the last shots of the movie.
💠Claire's thought bubble: Please please please go see this movie immediately so we can talk about it. Five days later, I'm still thinking about it constantly. I definitely plan to go see it again as soon as possible.