You Can See Everything Deserves An Oscar Nomination It Probably Won't Get

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Spoilers for "You Can See Everything" follow.

Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's new three-hour documentary "You Can See Everything" is generating more buzz than seemingly any doc in recent history. A secretive project that obtained almost mythical status when we learned about it a few weeks ago, the documentary looks at Elizabeth Holmes, the convicted fraudster behind Theranos. The filmmakers were granted unprecedented access to Holmes in the days leading up to the start of her 11-year prison sentence, and Fielder is our guide as he spends countless hours with Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans.

A jaw-dropping saga unfolds, resulting in a film that really does live up to the hype: This is one of the best movies of the year, and one of the most fascinating documentaries I have ever seen. The reaction to "You Can See Everything" has been so resoundingly positive that many are wondering if the film could do something historic and become the first documentary nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

But that's not what I want to talk to you about. While no doc has been nominated for Best Picture before, I could actually see the Academy finally making an exception here. But there's another Oscar nomination I think the film deserves that it has absolutely no chance of nabbing: Best Supporting Actress for Amanda Seyfried.

Hulu

Amanda Seyfried played Holmes in the Hulu series "The Dropout," and one of the many twists and turns "You Can See Everything" has in its back pocket is a brain-breaking appearance from Seyfried herself. About an hour into the movie, after the real Holmes heads to prison, Nathan Fielder brings Seyfried into the narrative. And this isn't a cameo, either: Seyfried has a significant role in the film. I'd argue the film wouldn't be as successful without her.

Seyfried engages in elaborate re-enactments to play Holmes once again to recreate moments Fielder and company didn't or couldn't capture on camera, but she also becomes Fielder's co-investigator, looking at the footage he shot of the real Holmes and offering invaluable feedback. One of the running themes of the film is how sympathetic the real Holmes can come across to some people, and indeed, Fielder seems to genuinely like her and care about her. Seyfried, however, seems to the voice of reason, able to look past Holmes' huge blue eyes and her potentially manipulative presence. She's also quick to clock that Billy Evans, who ends up serving as the film's villain, is bad news (although to be fair, you'd probably have to be blind to miss that).

Hulu

Documentaries do not get acting Oscar nominations — how could they? They're meant to be showing us the truth, so we don't tend to think of them as having "acting." Yet one of the many themes of "You Can See Everything" is the nature of documentaries themselves, and how you can't always believe what you see on screen. As Seyfried herself says near the end of the film, "It's complicated."

Other than Fielder, who has great instincts when it comes to getting people to open up on camera, Seyfried has the toughest part to play in "You Can See Everything." Not only does she deliver an uncanny performance as Holmes in the re-enactments, but she essentially drives the narrative further by helping Fielder get to some semblance of the truth. I found her presence to be enchanting and brilliant, and the way she's able to seemingly cut through all the B.S. underscores how sharp Seyfried is, like a great private detective cracking a case.

"You Can See Everything" would be a good movie without Seyfried's presence, but adding her to the story elevates the film to a whole other level. She's essential to making the film work, and she deserves some sort of awards season recognition for that (and it would be only fair since the Oscars previously snubbed her incredible work in "The Testament of Ann Lee"). Do the right thing, Academy: Nominate Amanda Seyfried.