A second review?
I took my sibling along to the preview screening for Everything Everywhere All At Once. We laughed. I cried. We had a great time. So inspired by the film they were, I arrived home to a review written by said sibling because it’s THAT GOOD. A thought I shared in my own review here. So here is my siblings (potentially better and far shorter) review:
The magic of this film isn’t in the pacing and balance because the film moves with the ease of a well practiced kata and has more laugh out loud moments than anyone could ever expect from an action film.
Nor is it in the fact that it so beautifully frames the sci-fi sensibilities of Douglas Adams within a martial arts based hero motif.
No the magic of this film is that it does all of that, and still manages to tell multiple authentic human stories. Stories of weakness and strength. Of dysfunction and determination. Of boredom, of stardom, of the road less traveled and the path worn thin by the endless grind.
It is an original thought on so many worn out tropes, and it puts the beauty, grace and sheer power of Michelle Yeoh at the centre. If ever there was a love letter to this actor’s skill and range, this movie is it.
The message of the story isn’t one of omnipotent multiversal power, it is that everyone, every single human on the planet has the power to choose. We can all choose to see the good. We can all choose to love. We can all choose to be present, right here, right now. That is the irony of this films name, that we don’t need to be everything, everywhere, all at once, we just have to do the best we can, with the now we have.
All this and more is why it is a movie that I will watch Once a Year, because it was a ultimately a story of hope. It reminds me that I can always choose to fight, not with my fists, but with kindness.
