Everything everywhere all at once: Subverting Expectations
Movies have come a long way since early Hollywood. Gone are the slow and intimate films of the 80s and 90s, ushered out for a new wave of filmmaking. Though old Hollywood films will always known as some of the greatest movies of all time, modern films have taken filmmaking and given it a breath of new life. The cinematography, writing, and acting help make this, in my opinion, one of the best movies of all time. However, it’s not just these that make it such an amazing movie, it’s the connection it makes to Asian culture that especially speaks to me. The parallels that I have seen in my real life make this move all more adored by me and thousands of others like me. For the sake of simplicity and convenience, I will be abbreviating “Everything Everywhere All at Once” to “EEAAO” (Please pronounce it “ee-ah-uh” internally, it makes it more fun.)
EEAAO starts off as an average “slice of life” indie film. A stressed mother Evelyn tries to survive life with a failing laundromat. Evelyn is regretful of her life and wishes she could have restarted, become an actor, or some other life. With her elderly father’s birthday, a tax audit, and divorce papers, her life begins to fall apart. This is the first part of the movie I want to talk about. EEAAO portrays life extremely well, almost to an uncomfortable degree. In my own life, I have seen days exactly like this play out, where my mother is stressed beyond belief by her parents, husband, and child. I have also been in scenarios like this, where one of my grandparents is in need of constant care, and while the rest of the world moved on, they sat constantly complaining, acting uncaring to anyone else’s needs. This is very well represented in the movie with the grandfather constantly complaining and yelling at others.
A little later in the movie, her daughter, “Joy,” wants to bring her girlfriend to the party. She is constantly told by Evelyn that she is just confused and that it will kill her grandfather. This is again, a very accurate representation of Asian and many other cultures’ reactions to their children coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community. This reaction is very common especially in Asian households, with homosexuality being a very taboo subject in Eastern countries. Joy is only able to stay sane because of her father, “Waymond” which I want to take some time to explicitly talk about.
Waymond’s character from beginning to end is one of the most compelling characters I have ever seen in a film. From beginning to end, any moment he is on screen is captivating, and filled with emotion. Waymond is the unloved husband of Evelyn, being quiet and “overbearingly” positive. He is shown as being timid and a naive pushover, allowing his wife to walk all over him. He is what many would consider a “beta male,” always taking what is given to him and never fighting for what he wants. Waymond is the stereotypical Asian man. But, on the other side of the spectrum, another version of Waymond takes over. He is heroically referred to as, “Alpha Waymond.” He is this wisdom-filled sage, that gives Evelyn all the guidance and information she needs to know about multiversal travel. He another asian stereotype; a tough, quick-to-anger, kung fu master. This is an archetype coined by people like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. He is seen as an “alpha male” by Evelyn and the audience alike and leaves movie-goers with an infatuation that was never present for regular Waymond. But, it is only when Waymond reveals his reasoning for kindness in a heartfelt speech, that we realize his true nature. This reveal later unravels into a number of revelations for Evelyn and everyone else within the film.
As the film's main antagonist, Jobu Tupaki attacks Evelyn, her mind is fractured, and she sees no point in life. She goes through a violent sequence of events, involving breaking a window, and telling Waymond that she regrets moving to America with him. She laments to a CEO version of him that their life after having moved to America consisted of nothing more than arguments and working in the laundromat. Waymond says, “In another universe, I would have liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.” It is here we learn that Waymond is not the timid person we all assumed he was. His kindness is not subservience, but instead a way to help. He is someone who uses kindness to achieve his goals, without the need for violence and domineering. It also makes her realize how kind and patience Waymond had been, and that she should cherish every moment she has with him. After this revelation, the original Evelyn goes and tells her father about Joy’s girlfriend. To my and likely many of the audience’s surprise, he is very accepting and just holds Joy’s hand.
EEAAO is a film promoting acceptance and kindness. Along with being an amazingly complex film about family, it subverts expectations and crushes previously established Asian stereotypes and humanizes other ones. This film spoke to me on a level no other movie has and is the only movie I’ve watched that has made me cry. Its benefits for the Asian community cannot be ignored, and I recommend that Everyone Everywhere should watch this film at Once.
