‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
The indie hit that’s been breaking the box office for almost a year
SATVIKA NITYA / ASST. A&C EDITOR / THE USD VISTA
On Mar. 25, 2022, 10 theaters across North America witnessed the limited release of a small indie film called “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (EEAAO), the film that has now grossed over $106.9 million worldwide, been nominated for 11 Oscars and is still thriving in theaters almost a year after release.
Directed and written by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, this adventure-sci-fi film debuted in the South by Southwest Film Festival on Mar. 11, 2022.
With the concept of the multiverse introduced and carried out through a traditional Chinese immigrant family, the movie merges bizarrely wonderful ideas with equally unique cinematography and special effects.
For the upcoming 95th run of the Oscars, scheduled to air on Mar. 12, 2023, “EEAAO” has been nominated for major award categories like “Best Picture,” “Best Director,” “Best Actress,” “Best Original Screenplay,” “Best Costume Design,” “Best Score” and five other Academy Award categories.
USD junior Jessica Fernandez De La O talked about her reaction to seeing the movie’s massive success.
“I personally haven’t been super inclined to go to theaters after COVID-19, because recent films seem more generic and something I can stream from home,” said Fernandez. “But this being a small film [that’s been] picked up and doing so well just shows the significance it carries, and it’s really impressive to see how much it incentivizes people to go to theaters. It revives the love for film.”
With a talented, star-studded cast including Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis, “EEAAO” revolves around the story of a Chinese immigrant named Evelyn Wang, who stressfully runs a laundromat with her husband in the middle of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit while also grappling with her daughter’s sexuality and life choices.
The plot of the movie thickens when it’s revealed to Evelyn that the universe she resides in is one of a billion and that there is a different version of her in each of those universes, which are all in danger because of a dark force destroying them. It then becomes Evelyn Wang’s mission to save everyone from a descent into oblivion.
This movie expands the concept of the multiverse by highlighting how every small decision ever made by humans can create an alternate universe. Whether that be the smallest of changes, like a universe where “Ratatouille” is called “Racacoonie” or a universe where an evolutionary choice made millions of years ago has now caused humans to have hot dogs as fingers.
But the film’s goal is not just subtle comedy or ridiculous concepts. As the story progresses, it makes underlying commentary on mental health, existentialism and the feeling of loneliness and disorientation we all experience as we’re navigating this world.
USD sophomore Jesalin Diaz, a big fan of the movie, talked about her feelings toward the movie and its deeper meaning.
“At first, I was very confused because of how much was being thrown at me,” said Diaz. “But if you look past the mind-blowing special effects, the movie talks a lot about what we, especially as college students, face related to feeling unsure about the future and life in general. And I also loved how the movie talked about the trauma you face as a child of an immigrant and the struggles that come with that.”
EEAAO has managed to resonate with audiences of all ages and races across the world. But it has reached new heights and surpassed boundaries, specifically for the Asian American community through the portrayal of its nuanced characters.
New York Magazine film critic Alison Wilmore talked about how part of the appeal of the film is that it’s about Asian American characters without being marketed as an Asian American film and that “the characters simply are relatable in all their aspects, like anyone else.”
USD senior Jasmin Zheng reacted to the film, its cast and its content as a Chinese woman herself.
“Oftentimes, when there’s a movie with a minority cast, people tend to focus only on that,” Zheng said. “But this movie includes that cast without making it about their culture and the stereotypes that come with it, and that makes me happy. But I also worry if the hype for this movie is arising [solely] because of the fact that it’s pushing minorities into mainstream film.”
Despite the reasons for “EEAAO’s” popularity, this film has kept audiences on the edge of their seat throughout its course.
After winning the public’s support and helping revive the love for watching movies in theaters, the only question that remains is if this indie hit will win in the forthcoming Academy Awards.