In Another Life
My Unbiased Review of ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
K. Ma
“IN ANOTHER LIFE, I WOULD HAVE REALLY LIKED JUST DOING LAUNDRY AND TAXES WITH YOU.” In a mesmerising swirl of cosmic chaos, the A24 film Everything Everywhere All At Once, catapults audiences into a kaleidoscopic journey through the multiverse, where every possibility collides in a dazzling display of cinematic virtuosity with paradoxical allusions throughout the film.
From the very outset, the film shatters conventional narrative boundaries, plunging viewers into a whirlwind of parallel universes, each brimming with its own unique tapestry of existence. Director duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert orchestrate this symphony of realities with an audacious flair, deftly weaving together threads of comedy, drama, and existential ponderings into a narrative tapestry that defies modern-day categorisation (which I would say greatly limits the potential of films, for the best films are not limited to one genre.)
It is the best movie I have ever watched. It’s quite a bold claim, but Everything Everywhere All At Once is a cinematic behemoth. The story volleys between comedy and melodrama and makes references to everything from Ratatouille to wuxia to Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love. Above all, it juggles with modern nihilism, and rolls philosophy’s hardest question around on its tongue:
Why should we believe in anything when nothing really matters?
OKAY NOW WHY IS THE MOVIE SO GOOD?
When the film was first released, I watched it and walked out of the cinema questioning what I had just spent two hours of my life watching. Perhaps this is quite similar to most people’s reaction after watching a Nolan film. Quite frankly, I could not understand what the hell was going on in the film.
Marking its release just a bit over two years ago now, rewatching Everything Everywhere All at Once really does do it justice. The film’s layers of complexity and thematic richness have only become more apparent, solidifying its status as a true cinematic masterpiece. For context, the movie begins with a failing marriage between Evelyn and Waymond Wang (waymond lol) – two humble laundromat owners that evade tax. The characters traverse the labyrinthine corridors of the multiverse; they confront their mortality and the fleeting nature of existence. Each encounter with alternate versions of themselves serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the preciousness of every moment (what Evelyn had taken for granted at the start of the film). Through their journey, we as the viewers, are taught to not view experiences as trivial and futile but rather to experience life at its fullest to highlight the ephemerality of life.
At its core, the film explores the notion of choice and consequence, inviting audiences to ponder the ramifications of our decisions across parallel universes and grapple with the idea of ‘what could have been’. What truly sets the film apart in my eyes is its ability to transcend genre conventions and defy audience expectations. By seamlessly blending elements of science fiction, comedy, and drama, the film creates a singular cinematic experience that defies categorisation. As viewers immerse themselves in its labyrinthine plot and richly imagined universe, they are drawn into a world where anything is possible, and everything is everywhere all at once.
Joy’s narrative is a familiar one, as far as diasporic metaphors go. Her hurt and rage devolve into total disillusionment, and in an initial twist, position her as the multiverse’s villain, hunting down her mother’s various alternate selves across realities under the alias Jobu Tobaki. She straddles the schism between her wants and her mother’s expectations, the East, and the West; it’s a tale Hollywood has recently become comfortable exploring with Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell and Pixar’s Turning Red, which have paved the way for Asian-led projects like this one.
From the start, it’s evident that Evelyn and her daughter Joy grapple with a strained relationship, largely due to Evelyn’s inability to accept Joy’s sexuality. Joy’s efforts to seek acceptance and warmth from her mother are met with dismissal. The Daniels challenge the deeply ingrained beliefs that govern a fair amount of immigrant parents’ worldviews (being brought up in a completely different society can obviously account for different beliefs). To zoom in so closely on the film’s mother-daughter relationship, then, might seem too narrow but the tension between her sweet husband and daughter is the driving emotional force. As the film progresses and seeing every fabric of the multiverse unfold, Evelyn finds refuge within herself and comes to accept her daughter. I find it hard, especially in Hollywood films, not to cringe whenever directors try to touch on the ‘problems in society’ due to the crap execution of these themes, but yeah, I’ll admit – this film made me shed a tear or two with the perfect balance of cinematography and story-telling.
Quite a touching scene tbh
By the end of the movie, I like how the I.R.S. agent calls her “Evelyn” instead of “Mrs Wang”. In the course of the movie, they hated, fought, and finally understood each other as people. That “Evelyn” is a sign of approval and friendship. The last scene is fitting and wraps up the entire movie really well – all family members together, reunited by none other than love.
Ending scene