One thing I love about cinema is everything can have a personal interpretation. The message I receive from a film is perhaps not what the person next to me is getting. It’s one thing about storytelling that I find beautiful, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Lynn Cupido.
Cinema’s latest indie darling, Everything Everywhere All at Once, is exactly this, serving up a beautifully messy blend of chaos, trippy scenes, and tear-jerking moments – no matter the message you receive from this.
I laughed, I cried, and I sat in utter confusion, but I ultimately came out of the cinema convinced that this latest gem from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert was exactly the breath of fresh air the world of cinema needed.
However, watching this film does come with a disclaimer: you’ll either rave about it, or you’ll hate it – there’s no in-between.
The movie deals with a popular plot point right now – the multiverse – but is somehow more grounded in reality than Marvel’s iteration.
Starring the matriarch in Crazy Rich Asians, Michelle Yeoh, it’s a story filled with soul and heart. The role was reportedly intended for superstar Jackie Chan, but the writers felt the wife and husband dynamic would work better with a female lead. And boy, does it work, especially with Yeoh at the helm.
The story revolves around Evelyn Wang, “an ageing Chinese immigrant who gets swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.”
If you’ve ever watched Yeoh’s work, you would understand the regalness and poise she often brings to the screen, but for this film, she digs a little deeper, offering up a sadder and more vulnerable version of herself. Her performance bounces beautifully off the rest of the cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis who plays an IRS Agent.
If you love weird but wonderful films that deliver a messy yet magical message, Everything Everything All at Once is a must-watch as it delivers a sucker punch to the gut thanks to its storyline around regrets, missed opportunities, and destiny.
Check out the trailer below:
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Picture: David Bornfriend/A24
