Remember Interstellar? A proper sci-fi cinema from 2014 spanning over the cosmos which baffled the audience's mind with its plot and resonated with the audience's heart with its tenderness. Despite being a hardcore sci-fi film it was extremely well received because at the core of the film there lies the magic thing: "Love". It's almost impossible to see something that relates to you on a core level that doesn’t have a precious bond of love. Interstellar had that with its father and daughter. For his daughter's love, Cooper crossed galaxies to bring humanity to rescue. In Everything Everywhere All At Once, it was the bond of mother and daughter that holds and serves the multiversal phenomena of 2022.
It's harder to not spoil and talk about EEAAO's plot. When the film was announced and a trailer came out, I deliberately kept away from watching anything about it. Because I thought it was going to be something unique. As the days went by, the praise for this film started to come by and it was overwhelming. Everyone claims it to be one of the greatest films they have ever watched and almost every active director I know in the industry praising it to be the pinnacle of the last couple of years in filmmaking certainly elevated my expectations of it. So I eagerly waited for a better print and watched it last night. Well, it definitely did not turn out to be the greatest film of all time but it certainly had some remarkable and memorable moments all throughout the film.
To simplify the plot during the shootout directers duo called Daniels kept the plot as "A woman tries to do her taxes". To be fair, it really is that. Evelyn Wang doing her taxes. At the beginning of the film. And apparently at the end of the film too. It comes full circle at the end through the taxes. But everything happens in between. Happens almost everywhere. And Evelyn experiences all that at the same time.
It is easy to see why this film resonated with people so much. People are dissatisfied with their life. Some are dissatisfied with money, some are not. Some complain they lack so much whereas those with much regret the things they sacrificed along the way. They have damaged their relationship with their loved ones. Some are so busy satisfying the forgotten ones that they are not acknowledging the new ones they built. The need for material things often blurs the precious thing they have before their eyes. And when the damage happens, it often is beyond salvation. This film puts a reminder on those things. Things that are so normal but precious that we don't often seem to realize.
About the craft of this film, it's just brilliant. The set piece is on point. Action sequences are smart. The film's various plot points are clearly inspired by some prominent sci-fi films like The Matrix, and In The Mood For Love, Ratatouille but it's an original movie of its own. Some scenes are superbly innovative and hilarious at the same time. I mean there were fight scenes that included dildos. A scene where guns were replaced by buttplugs, and handbags instead of nunchakus so you can assume how far they went to achieve those oddities in scenes.
There are multiple memorable characters with great lines. Almost every significant character is written gorgeously. They have reasons behind their actions. At first, it all comes off a bit hasty but as the story progresses it comes to a realization that those characters already had that power in them, it only took a push to make them realize their full potential. Michelle Yeoh is phenomenal as multiple versions of herself. Ke Huy Quan got the sweetest moments and memorable lines. But Stephanie Hsu surprised me the most as she got to play the most crucial role and delivered a power-packed performance.
We are the product of our predecessor. Accept it or not, their behavior toward us gets reflected in our next generation. The trauma left by our parents affects the behavior that our children get to see. And those who couldn’t get out of that effect might not get to reach their true potential. Everything Everywhere All At Once is a showcase of that possibility. The could've been part of this film was extraordinary. It showed how we actually need anyone, particularly in life. How our life can be so different with or without someone. How every decision creates a new branch in our life, creating a different future for us. Everything Everywhere All At Once says nothing matters, but at the same time, it roars about the relations that matter. Though the last action scene felt a bit over the top, it closes by roaring the positivity of life. Leaving a sweet memory on your mind.
All images are taken by screenshots from my pc
