Everything Everywhere All at Once – Review and Explanation – Movie 2022
Summary of the post
The following summary includes the list of the topics we will cover in our “Everything Everywhere All at Once” review.
- The Story
- Trailer
- Where you can watch the movie
- What did we learn from Everything Everywhere All at Once – (Spoilers Begin)
- What we did and didn’t like about the film – Pros and Cons
Oscar Winner in 2023!
Everything Everywhere all at Once is the most successful movie of 2022. The Academy awarded the cast for their incredible achievements with the following awards:
- Best Film of 2022;
- Best Actor in a supporting role to Ke Huy Quan;
- Best Actress in a leading role to Michelle Yeoh;
- Best Actress in a supporting role to Jamie Lee Curtis;
- Best Directors to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert;
- Best Film Editing to Paul Rogers;
- Best Original Screenplay to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert;
Did you watch Everything Everywhere All at Once? – Spoiler Alert
In this post we analysed the film and therefore it contains spoilers. Make sure you have watched the movie. If not, check our movie introduction to discover the story, other curiosities and watch the trailer.
When a movie wins eight awards in a couple of months from the day of its release, it means that we are talking about a sensational film. And let’s be honest, Everything Everywhere All at Once is definitely a unique production. And it can easily target some 2022 Oscars. Then we may think that the film is perfect, right? Almost. In this post we will tell you:
- What did we learn after watching the movie;
- What did we like;
- And what we didn’t like about the film;
What did we learn after watching Everything Everywhere All at Once?
The director immediately shows us what we are going to experience throughout the entire film. In a mirror we can see them happy together, then an empty scene, and, finally, we are introduced to our characters with a beautiful camera movement.
An inspiring character’s evolution.
All the characters on the scene experience an incredible evolution during the entire movie. Their growth through the film finds inspiration in one particular element: kindness. Kindness is the hidden superpower that transforms our characters and us into better persons. It’s a powerful message and let us explain to you how this happened.
Let’s start with Evelyn character arch.
When we first meet her, Evelyn is stressed and overwhelmed. She doesn’t want to disappoint her father; Evelyn doesn’t listen to her family. As we witness, Waymond and Joy aren’t in Evelyn’s thoughts. Waymond tries to ask for some time to talk about their possible divorce.
Joy brings Becky with her to the party, but Evelyn ends up not being really kind to them. Evelyn is only focused on accomplishing their daily tasks. She doesn’t have time for her family and her life.
Evelyn suffers from the idea of being judged by other people.
For example, when Joy tries to explain that Becky is her girlfriend to her grandpa, Evelyn stops her and tells him that Becky is just a friend. Evelyn can’t stand her father, and therefore it’s her family that pays the price. She doesn’t enjoy the frivolity of a silly dance between Waymond and a customer. Evelyn is not mentally there with them. But Evelyn also has several hobbies and qualities that she doesn’t enjoy because she lost the ability to love herself and her life.
The laundry shop is a distraction from her failures.
The laundry shop is her only focus, and not even because she enjoys it, but because it’s a distraction from her failures in life, her family and her frustrations. How do we know that? When alpha Waymond reaches her and performs her mental scan, Evelyn revisits her past, and we discover, in a confusing and touching passage of memories, the complex relationships she had with her father; the dreams of a happy family with Waymond and Joy.
Evelyn lives the drama of not being grateful for what she has and still wonders what it could have been instead. And the drama becomes a tragedy when we find out how Evelyn is doing exactly the same damage to Joy as her father did to her, creating the dangerous Jobu Tupaki. Not an easy life indeed.
But what changes Evelyn and the story?
We can’t say that Evelyn is a bad character. Yes, probably punching an IRF official wasn’t the best choice of her life; we agree with you. Yes, you are right; probably not even saying to Joy that she is getting fat. Ok, you have a good point; destroying her shop wasn’t brilliant, especially in front of the police. But Evelyn taught us something while jumping from one universe to another one.
Evelyn is ready to embrace Waymond.
First, Evelyn would never hurt or kill Joy, even if she needed to disappoint her father, who was asking for it. Nothing risks or treats can bring a mother to such a desperate end. And secondly, in one of the many universes, Evelyn is finally ready to admire the real qualities and strengths of her Waymond.
Yes, we are talking about his incredible and unbreakable kindness. Waymond teaches Evelyn and us that we must stop fighting each other, and instead be kind.
Kindness is the real revolution.
It’s not an easy business, let’s be clear. If we observe Waymond’s life, we witness the heavy price he needs to pay to battle and keep kindness ongoing. He is always nice to Joy and Evelyn. Waymond never complains or gets upset with them. When Waymond brings the divorce letter to the table, he does it because he desires to free Evelyn from the prison of the shop and her family.
He wanted Evelyn in and part of that dream they shared and made together. And his drama is touching, especially when, at the IRS office, he sees an old couple kissing each other with love, and he wonders why this is not the case in their relationship. But anyway, Waymond keeps going and doesn’t give up. Incredibly he gains another extension from the tax office, simply showing empathy and kindness.
And those are universal words, therefore, the IRS officer grants the extension to them. And it happens while Evelyn is instead thinking that her husband is making things worse. But, finally, Waymond succeeds and transforms Evelyn into kindness and a new character.
Waymond and the warriors of kindness.
Waymond explains to us that we can be warriors by simply accepting and absorbing the sufferance of other people, and doing our best to make a change and improve others. And let us tell you, this is a task that requires incredible strength and a good heart.
Therefore, Evelyn inspires and, during a moment of battle, she becomes a warrior who fights to bring together two people in need of love; fixing the health of another man; also slapping another one…well, no one is perfect, right?
But what matters is that Evelyn hugs her fears and makes peace with them. She is a new woman now who learned how to fight and deal with her anxieties. But Evelyn hugs and kisses, finally, her Waymond. Now she can truly love him.
But Evelyn is not the only one who changes thanks to kindness.
Let’s look at Joy, for instance. She loves her mother, but she doesn’t know how to communicate with her. Joy built a bagel as a solution to destroy herself and escape from any delusion, disappointment and everything. In the end, Joy is the younger version of Evelyn. Struggling to express her love to her family, and share with them her dreams of love and life.
Fortunately, Evelyn understands the mistakes she is making and rectifies her behaviours, improving the relationship with her daughter. Are you ready to do the same? You see by yourself how important kindness is with our loved ones and also with a tax officer. It says a lot.
Even Gong Gong changes thanks to kindness.
If, in the beginning, he was judgemental and not certainly polite with his daughter, in the end, he let her free to save Joy. He accepts Becky in his life and plays with her, because love goes over the barriers of language. And, fortunately, Evelyn does the same with Joy. She lets her daughter free to live her life with Becky.
Kindness wins in any multiverse of our existences.
If kindness can convince an IRF tax officer to grant you more time to save your shop, if it can save family and dreams and let us find the alpha verse of each of us, then from today, kindness is what we must chase every day of our lives, for ourselves, our loved ones and strangers.
As you can see, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is not only a masterpiece of cinematography and visual effects but, especially, an incredible source of inspiration to drastically change our relationship with ourselves and the people around us. So be kind, especially when you don’t know what is going on.
And don’t forget to love even more all the people that are fighting with their kindness to keep you with them, absorbing your pain and challenges. Let’s accept ourselves, our kids and our loved ones for what we are, without pretending to change them and offering our time to them. In the end, kindness is a gift not only for Joy who found Becky, or for Evelyn who met Waymond, but for each of us ready to embrace it.
The multiverse is a metaphor for our unconscious
But before moving to our pros and cons of the movie, we want to suggest to you another point of view about the film. The multi-verse, the different versions of what we are and what we could be in different universes, looked to us as the continued internal struggle we have with our unconscious and anxieties; about what we are and what we could be instead, while it’s clear that we must accept ourselves for who we are.
The metaphor of the laundry business
And the catharsis happens when they gain the extension that saves their laundry shop. Their business looks like another metaphor because now they can “clean” themselves from their struggles, differences and problems. Precisely, like clothes wet from a rain made of sufferance and dried from a warm wind of kindness.
And finally, everything happens during the Chinese New Year and what better moment to start new commitments and goals for your life if not during new year’s night? Genial choice from the Daniels.
What did we like about Everything Everywhere All at Once?
The Daniels delivered a masterpiece in its genre. It’s a touching story after a lot of processing and digesting. The actors are sensational, and the whole cast will target some 2022 Oscars with this film. The music, special effects, scenography and photography, make-up and costumes, everything is top-notch; everywhere we look, and it comes so beautifully all at once. Ok, now we deserve an Oscar too.
We are joking, but the film is undoubtedly well-done and delivered. We got inspired by the story and surprised by how nicely the Daniels found space to offer us memories of Matrix and Ratatouille. But as we mentioned, after a lot of digesting and processing. Let’s move to the cons of the movie.
What didn’t we like about Everything Everywhere All at Once?
If you have to suggest a relaxing movie to your friend to let them enjoy their movie night, now you have the opportunity to trick them and confuse their minds. Let’s be honest; the film is mind-blowing and requires some effort to be appreciated. Let’s be clear, we love those challenging movies, but everything is too much all at once.
People with hypersensitivity may be stressed watching the film. The story is overwhelming and confusing with all the jumps across the multiple universes. But we must say that it’s like the struggle we have while dealing with our minds. Is it ever relaxing or easy? We doubt it.
The film is anyway a bit bizarre, surreal and complex, and we don’t want to criticise the movie, but instead kindly ask you to take the time to re-watch it and digest it. It is worth the time and the effort, as we have seen together.
Our final rating for Everything Everywhere All at Once is:
9/10
Did you enjoy Everything Everywhere All at Once?
We hope you enjoyed the film. Let us know your opinion in the comment section. And let us suggest you a couple of great historical: Operation Mincemeat; Silverton Siege; The Last Duel.
So, what’s your opinion about the movie? Did we miss any crucial point? Let us know 🙂