Everything Everywhere All at Once

By Meera Shroff Feldman

The Oscars just happened a few days ago, and Everything Everywhere All at Once won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Here’s why we think you should watch it.

1. It’s definitely unlike any movie you’ve seen before.

Everything Everywhere is a groundbreaking film: there’s nothing quite like it. Although the concept of a multiverse has been done to death in every superhero movie and TV show recently, there is nothing clichéd about this film. When I sat down to watch this film, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was completely blown away by the end of it. I’ve watched a lot of movies, but I’ve never seen a movie like this. It’s impossible to be bored by it, it’s the most gripping film I’ve ever seen.

2. It will make you cry.

“In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.”

– Waymond

At its core, this film is about a mother-daughter relationship, and what gives our lives meaning. This film, with all of its visuals and effects and crazy action scenes, simply boils down to a mother and her daughter trying to understand each other. The most absurd and surreal scenes in the movie are somehow also the most poignant (if you’ve seen it, think of the rock scenes). Michelle Yeoh, who won Best Actress, delivers a painful and somehow hilarious performance that truly conveys the difficulty of motherhood and the love that parents have for their children. Stephanie Hsu plays aptly named Joy, her conflicted daughter, and was nominated for her role as well. Together, the two of them present a beautiful and heartbreaking depiction of familial love, and the joy and pain that comes with it.

3. The effects will make your head hurt (in a good way).

The visuals in this film are incredibly convincing without being over the top CGI like in a Marvel movie. The special effects are incredibly well done, especially considering the editing team didn’t have a huge amount of resources. They’re anything but simple, but by relying on actual people and regular special effects, somehow it feels more believable. There’s hot-dog hands, piñata heads, and floating bagels, and it all somehow adds to the story. None of it feels overdone or forced, and all of it is strangely beautiful.

4. It won a ton of awards and deserved them.

Although the Oscars were a bit strange this year in terms of nominations (Avatar) this movie deserved every award it received. Besides its 11 nominations, wining Best Picture Award, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay and more, and countless other accolades, it also is different to the usual Oscar winners. In the past, Best Picture winners in particular have fallen into a specific category, predominantly white and sometimes inaccessible, but this film is nothing like that. It doesn’t try to be a highbrow art film, it connects with the viewer, with bright visuals and absurd dialogue.

5. It might change how you see the world.

“You are not unlovable. There is always something to love. Even in a stupid, stupid universe where we have hot dogs for fingers, we get very good with our feet.”

Evelyn

Without spoiling anything, Everything Everywhere takes one of the most difficult questions: what is the meaning of life? and answers it. Whether you think life has no meaning, or you have your own personal meaning, this film certainly helps with any existential dread you might encounter.

This Film Fridays is a little different from our usual, but we wanted to honor this year’s Best Picture winner. Let us know what you think about Everything Everywhere All at Once in the comments below!