Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is a middle-aged immigrant from Hong Kong struggling to make ends meet: The laundry business she and her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) own is drowning, her relationship with her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) is strained, and a visit by her father Gong Gong (James Hong) pushes her and her family over the edge. Despite all of this, they must work together in an attempt to get their tax troubles in order.
On the way to a meeting with an auditor at the IRS, Waymond begins acting strangely and tells Evelyn to meet him in the janitor’s closet after equipping her with some sort of headset. During the meeting, Evelyn experiences her mind’s fragmentation as one part of herself remains in the meeting with the auditor and the other meets with Alpha Waymond in the janitor’s closet in an alternate universe. There, the alternate version of her husband tells her of a bizarre quest to defeat a great evil and save the multiverse from destruction.
As one may guess, Everything, Everywhere, All at Once has a lot to offer. The film’s universe-trotting conflict revolves around an entity known as Jobu Tupaki and her desire to force someone to be like her. This is where the film’s name comes from: The multiverse fragments her mind so she experiences everything, everywhere, and all of it all at once.
This film has a little bit of everything, but its main thematic focuses are everyday trauma and personal choice. We can easily see these themes come up with Evelyn and Joy: Evelyn has a lifetime of regrets and missed chances, most of them stemming from her father’s expectations and the sacrifices she made for her daughter and husband. We watch Evelyn discover other versions of herself in other universes and how fulfillment and happiness can be fickle and subjective. Joy suffers under similar conditions, compounded by deep depression and her mother’s homophobia.
The film’s action and sci-fi elements are fantastic and downright magical. Fans of Kung Fu cinema will find several thousand homages to their favorite action sequences (I’m barely exaggerating). Lovers of 70s and 80s B-movie sci-fi will love the practical effects and set design. It reminded me, especially, of sets from Buckaroo Banzai. At times, there is despair; at others, you can’t stop laughing.
It’s rare to come across a film that is both deeply philosophical and a crowd-pleaser but Everything, Everywhere, All at Once delivers again and again. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were still talking about this film twenty years from now, still discovering hidden meanings and easter eggs. This superior movie is recommended for all public library collections. Highly Recommended. Editor’s Choice.
What film series could benefit from this film?
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once would be an obvious excellent addition to action and sci-fi series, but could also benefit series on women, family, modern film, and trauma.
How can this film be used as an educational resource?
Physics classes: The movie explores the concept of parallel universes, which is a topic that can be discussed in physics classes. Teachers can use the movie to introduce the concept of the multiverse and discuss theories that support or challenge the idea.
Philosophy classes: The movie raises philosophical questions about the nature of reality and the meaning of existence. Teachers can use the movie to facilitate discussions on metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.
Creative writing classes: The movie can be used to inspire creative writing prompts that explore the idea of parallel universes and interconnectedness. Students can be challenged to write stories that incorporate the concept into their plots and themes.