You know that when a directing duo’s only other claim to fame is a film known as ‘the one where Daniel Radcliffe plays a farting corpse that somehow teaches the protagonist valuable life lessons,’ that their next film is probably going to be quite bizarre. So, when going to see The Daniel’s latest film, Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, I expected to be bewildered.
What I didn’t anticipate is that I would be left feeling dazed, shocked and with tears on my face. The worst part? I had no imminent ideas as to why. The film itself centres around Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), an untalented Asian woman living in America. She is trying to survive a hectic life in a laundromat, whilst subsequently neglecting her husband and daughter. However, all of a sudden everything changes. Evelyn and the audience are thrust into chaos as Evelyn has to save the multiverse by tapping into her alternate realities’ powers to stop an all-powerful villain. Sounds confusing? You have no idea.
To try and explain this plot fully, would not only be a nightmare, but a sin to the movie itself. There are so many factors that seem wild at first glance. Yet they are somehow twisted into major plot elements. An example of this is how I cried over a rock and questioned my life’s purpose over a bagel.
In consideration, this film achieves the monumental task of representing the idea of everything all the same time. Despite the fast pace and ridiculous elements to this story, at the centre of this film is a beautiful tale of family. This is depicted brilliantly by Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, and Ke Huy Quan, who all perform exceptionally considering the complexity of the roles.
Recently I learned unbelievably that only 5 people were responsible for the VFX within this film. The sheer amount of work gone into this film to best portray insanity is not only evident but outstanding. There are moments throughout the film in which each second has been perfectly and meticulously crafted for a scene, an obvious passion that has been void in big films of recent date. To aid this visual masterpiece, the film has numerous action sequences which take inspiration from past Asian cinema and deliver something that surpasses all its predecessors.
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, will not be for everyone. Flashy visuals and fast, unwavering pace can understandably put people off. I have talked to people who left the cinema more confused than they were impressed. Overall, this is one of the hardest films to review as there are so many different ways to interpret what this film is actually about. Is it a tribute to the best of what cinema has to offer? Is it an insane and chaotic story of the multiverse? Is it a simple depiction of a crumbling family? A guide on how to approach nihilism? It’s all of them, all at once.
5/5
Image credits: Unsplash