A MEANINGFUL OR MEANINGLESS FILM…

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a 2022 American  independent film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who produced it with Anthony and Joe Russo and Jonathan Wang; the film incorporates elements from a number of genres and film mediums, including absurdist fiction, comedy-drama, surreal comedy, science fiction, fantasy, martial arts films, immigrant narrative, and animation. Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Quan Wang, a Chinese-American immigrant who, while audited by the IRS, discovers that she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent a powerful being from destroying the multiverse. The film also stars Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr., and James Hong in supporting roles.

Kwan and Scheinert began work on the project in 2010. Production was announced in 2018, and principal photography ran from January to March 2020. The filmmakers initially sought Jackie Chan for the lead role before the script was revised to feature a female protagonist as part of a wife-husband duo. The works of Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai, as well as the children’s book Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and the video game Everything, served as inspiration for several scenes. The soundtrack features compositions by Son Lux, including collaborations with Mitski, David Byrne, André 3000, John Hampson, and Randy Newman. The film explores philosophical themes such as existentialism, nihilism, surrealism, and absurdism, as well as themes such as neurodivergence, depression, generational trauma, and Asian American identity.

Everything Everywhere All At Once premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2022, and began a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 25, 2022, before a wide release by A24 on April 8. The film grossed over $141 million worldwide, becoming A24’s highest-grossing film. It garnered widespread critical acclaim and is currently estimated to be the most awarded film of all time, winning a leading seven awards out of eleven nominations at the 95th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress for Yeoh, Best Supporting Actor for Quan, Best Supporting Actress for Curtis, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Kwan and Scheinert, and Best Film Editing. It also won two Golden Globe Awards, five Critics’ Choice Awards (including Best Picture), a BAFTA Award, a record four SAG Awards (including Best Ensemble), a record seven Independent Spirit Awards (including Best Feature), and swept the four major guild awards (DGA, PGA, SAG, and WGA).

Everything Everywhere All At Once is the Featured Blog of the Month for April for obvious reasons! You can expect to read a critique of the film discussing the philosophical themes of existentialism and nihilism that features a list of the Academy Award wins for the film. You can also read a recommendation that addresses the theme of intergenerational trauma through the power of healing relationships. There is also a critical review of Everything Everywhere All At Once that you can read in the featured blog section. You can also watch an interview with Entertainment Weekly that includes cast members Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis where they discuss their genre-bending film and what the film means to them and cinema. There is also a Top Ten List to commemorate the film being a Featured Blog of the Month, and for Everything Everywhere All At Once you can check out My Top Ten Genre-Bending Movies in honor of the Daniels’ mind tripping multiverse award winning record setting film! And finally as a Featured Blog of the Month film, you can watch the Official Trailer for the 2022 film and then plan on watching Everything Everywhere All At Once tonight!

Get ready for a trip into the philosophical multiverse!!!

You can watch the 2022 Official Trailer for Everything Everywhere All At Once below: