With the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards just recently being announced, I have made it a goal to watch the best picture nominations. Now, I don’t claim to be qualified to critique any of these films, but after watching the nominated films I believe Everything Everywhere All at Once deserves to win.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a film produced by A24 studios. This film follows a Chinese-American immigrant, Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh who gets caught up in a crazy adventure where she must explore versions of herself in parallel universes to save the multiverse. With a talented cast of Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis, this movie blew my expectations out of the water.
Despite this film’s action-comedy categorization, it takes a deep dive into themes like individuality, family, generational trauma, nihilism, and love. These themes are what cause audience member’s visceral reactions. Everything Everywhere All at Once displays the human characteristic of self-reflection throughout the plot. The film suggests that even if there are infinite versions of you that exist, it’s up to you to cultivate meaning within the life that you’ve been given.
Waymond (Evelyn’s husband) played by Ke Huy Quan, embodied the traits of kindness and love. Despite the fact that he is dealing with significant pain in his life, he continues to put on a smile and share his endlessly kind heart with others. Although love and kindness are not newly discussed themes in film, they were portrayed in such a way that was deeply emotional leaving a profound impact on the viewer after the movie.
The film was so impactful that it had me tearing up at scenes of people with hot dog fingers and conversational rocks. There aren’t many directors that can accomplish that.
Another reason I believe this movie should win an Oscar is because the representation of East Asians in Hollywood has been a long-standing issue, with many instances where Asian culture has either been underrepresented and/or misrepresented on screen. There’s a history of stereotypical and reductive portrayals of Asian characters, which has perpetuated harmful misconceptions and limited the opportunities for Asian actors in the industry.
Not only does this film offer an amazing story, but also changes the game for East Asian representation in Hollywood. For someone like me, seeing yourself through a hero like the main character Evelyn can mean a lot. The film also highlights the many hardships of the Asian immigrant experience. It can be seen through the cultural pressures of Evelyn trying to maintain a “better life” for her family and through Joy’s struggle of a second generation immigrant trying to balance her multicultural roots.
When different cultures and experiences are represented accurately and respectfully in film, it helps break down barriers and promote a diverse range of human experiences and perspectives. When diverse voices are represented, we are able to see the world through different lenses, and gain a better comprehension of the complexities and richness of the human experience.
In a sense, I believe that these different lenses are what film is about. The telling of stories through multiple elements such as cinematography, acting, editing, and sound design to highlight a unique story that moves an audience. Everything Everywhere All at Once did exactly that—it told a beautiful story that brought to light the experience and perspective of an Asian-American family in a heartrending 2 hours.
If you haven’t watched this film yet, I highly recommend you do alongside all the other phenomenal film nominees. For now, I will look forward to seeing which film wins, and hopefully Everything Everywhere All at Once takes the Oscars by storm.
