Kooky movie ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ scoops just about everything, everywhere, all at once at the Oscars
Wow, in a year that’s seen so many touch-and-go films hit our big screens (and small screens) – where audiences were binarily divided in their opinion on every. big. film. – from Elvis to Babylon, The Fabelmans to Tár, it was virtually phenomenal to see indie movie Everything Everywhere All At Once take home every major award at this year’s Oscars.
The film itself made little use of marketing and hype – unlike all the other aforementioned films – and it was made a strict budget solely for Netflix streaming (now also available on Binge) but, boy, did it prove you don’t need Hollywood dollars, contacts or hoopla to make an awe-inspiring movies that killed it against the hyped-up competition.
Everything Everywhere All At Once won the following categories at the 2023 Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Actress (in fact, lead actress Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win this category); Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan); Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jamie Lee Curtis); Best Director (Daniel Kwan with Daniel Scheinert); Best Original Screenplay; and Best Film Editing.
And that’s just the wins, for the film was nominated in so many other categories but, hey, this many gongs is worth sticking it to the bullies at school or anyone who ever dissed you for making weird art.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, it’s basically about a Chinese-American immigrant named Evelyn (Michelle Yeo) who, while being audited by the US tax department, discovers she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to prevent a powerful being from destroying the multiverse. (Are we having hallucinatory visions of googly eyes yet?). The film’s storyline theorises that no matter which avenues you choose in life, in the end it won’t make much of a difference.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a remarkable movie, not only for its non-conventional storyline and its awe-inspiring effects, but because the lessons learnt from the movie are subjective according to whomever is watching it.
Yes, there’s something truly bizarre (and probably not very realistic) about entering worlds where folks have hotdogs for fingers and rocks do a lot of talking, but within these made-up worlds is the main life-affirming message that happiness is key to a good life, no matter how one goes about obtaining it.
For a list of the rest of this year’s Oscar winners, visit the Academy Awards website.
Antonino Tati
CREAM MAGAZINE 
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