Polina Pompliano argues that the new Elizabeth Holmes documentary, directed by Lance Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder, is less about whether Holmes is a liar than a demonstration of how easily viewers' judgments are manipulated by framing, editing, and the order of reveals.
The piece ties the film to Canon's 2015 experiment in which six photographers shot the same man after being told different stories about him (millionaire, convict, psychic, and so on) and produced wildly different portraits. It also notes a detail often lost in the retelling: Holmes was acquitted on all four patient-fraud charges and convicted for misleading investors. The broader claim is that people form an emotional impression first and then go looking for facts to support it.