THE 2022 American absurdist comedy-drama film Everything Everywhere All At Once is currently the talk of the town after being hailed as the world’s most awarded film of all time for its total of 168 accolades from various major film critics and award bodies.

It took home seven prestigious Academy Awards on Monday (Philippine time), including best picture, director, original screenplay, lead actress, supporting actress, supporting actor and editing.

Aside from winning trophies, this action-comedy science fiction film has also captured the hearts of many viewers, garnering impressive reviews from esteemed critics and publications.

The film landed in theaters in March 2022 and has generated $68.9 million in the United States and another $31.1 million internationally, with its global ticket sales amounting to $100 million.

Courtesy: A24 Studio

‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ at a glance

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film features multi-awarded actors Michelle Yeoh, who plays the lead character Evelyn, and Ke Huy Quan, who portrays Evelyn’s husband, Waymond.

This Oscars sweeper also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, and James Hong.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is centered on the story of an Asian laundromat owner who contributed to saving multiple universes from a version of her daughter. She did so by splintering her mind to travel across universes and becoming one in consciousness with her doppelgangers. 

Aside from playing the heroine, Evelyn also has to resolve family-related issues, including saving their business, dealing with a forthcoming divorce, and fixing her relationship with her alienated daughter Joy (played by Hsu).

Courtesy: A24 Studio

Multiverse madness

Surely, the film has lived up to the hundreds of awards it received for providing viewers with a groundbreaking and avant-garde cinematic experience that leaves them astounded and breathless.

The all-out cinematic assault and the dazzling creativity of the movie is a breath of fresh air in an industry where traditions and formulas are highly exalted and stringently observed in the hopes of producing the next blockbuster.

Packed with jaw-dropping twists and turns, the film doesn’t only showcase the beauty of storytelling, it also serves as a reminder to both old and new filmmakers that sometimes, swerving away from the conventional film industry blueprint would lead to something as remarkable as Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Courtesy: A24 Studio

Lessons from the film

Beneath the multiversal mayhem, Everything Everywhere All At Once is a narrative that underscores the value of family and the importance of making the right decisions.

The magic of the film lies within its emotional depth, which takes its audience into a multiverse of emotions felt all at once as it navigates through the story of a mother who’s willing to risk her life to save her child, a daughter who travels from one universe to another to seek love and acceptance from her mother, and a husband whose unconditional love transcends lifetimes of struggles and pain for his wife and family.

Courtesy: A24 Studio

Everything Everywhere All At Once aims to convey to its viewers that even the smallest decisions they make can have a great impact on the lives they live.

And although it is important to think of every single possibility with every action taken, one shouldn’t, in any case, worry about the road not taken. Because despite the chaos and derangement the world may offer, there is and will always be something to love and endless things to learn.

Above all else, Everything Everywhere All At Once reminds its audienceship that every new discovery is just a reminder that people are all “small and stupid.”

Courtesy: A24 Studio