Every Award Everywhere All at Once

Elise Park

This year’s Oscars ceremony celebrated an impressive array of films, from the fan-favorite “Avatar: The Way of Water” to the World War I epic “All Quiet on the Western Front.” But perhaps the most memorable film of 2022, boasting six Academy Awards including one for Best Picture, is Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once”.

This heart wrenching yet hilarious sci-fi film follows an unassuming hero, Evelyn Wang, on her wonderfully absurd adventure to save the multiverse from impending chaos. At first glance, this film is a messy action comedy with dizzying visual effects. From universes where humans are just pieces of rock to a spin-off of “Ratatouille” starring a racoon as the cook, “Everything Everywhere” quickly crushes your expectations. But at the heart of the film lies the Wangs’ journey towards reconciliation and themes of familial love that shed light on the historically overlooked Asian-American experience. Think the interdimensional adventure “Spiderman: No Way Home” meets Pixar’s heartwarming story of acceptance “Turning Red.”

“I watched it and the message I took from it was that you can define the significance of everything in your life; my friend watched it and she focused on the cyclical nature of parenting; my aunt watched it and was struck by how all the identities that Evelyn has parallels her own immigrant experience,” Amber Khauv (CW ‘23) shared, reflecting on the message behind the film. “I feel like there’s something in there for everyone.”

Despite its excessively colorful and ridiculous plot, many find it a relatable and touching narrative. Michelle Yeoh’s overwhelmed tiger-mom portrayal of Evelyn and Stephanie Hsu’s rebellious Joy paint a scene many American children with immigrant parents know all too well. Ke Huy Quan, who plays Evelyn’s benign and timid husband in one universe and a fanny pack-wielding superhero in another, delivers an unforgettable performance. And Jamie Lee Curtis, the marvelously unpleasant IRS agent who at one point flaunts sausages for fingers, reminds us it’s okay to laugh. Yeoh, Quan, and Curtis have all received Oscars for their acting, and this year marked the highest number of Oscar nominations for Asian actors in history.

Lacole Yang (CW ‘24) added, “It’s one of the most unique films I’ve seen in a while. I think the portrayal of family is interesting because in American media, you have films that are all about the child’s journey towards self-discovery and finding a place in the world. But ‘Everything Everywhere’ is about the struggles of the mother. I feel like moms deserve that kind of recognition.”

It seems the film has received nothing but recognition over the past few months. As the A24 sensation has already secured four SAG awards, breaking records for the most wins by a single film, it’s no doubt “Everything Everywhere All at Once” will go down in cinematic history.