The box office hit “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” won big at the Oscars last year. Now the science fiction comedy can also be seen on German television.
People who have seen “Everything Everywhere All at Once” know: It is difficult to explain what this film is about, which won seven awards at the 2023 Oscars – including Best Picture. On Friday, the box office hit will be shown for the first time on free TV: at 10:20 p.m. on ARD.
But why is it so difficult to explain what the film is about? The film bombards its audience with countless twists, ideas and visual allusions. Defining a genre alone is almost impossible – because the film is an anarchic mix of science fiction, fantasy, martial arts, slapstick comedy and family drama.
The 2022 blockbuster tells the story of Chinese immigrant Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), who runs a laundromat in the USA and is stressed by her everyday life. After an error in her tax return, her laundromat is audited by the tax authorities.
During a visit to the tax office, where the nasty tax inspector Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis) wants to check her documents, her husband (Ke Huy Quan) suddenly turns into an alternate version of himself from another universe. “Alpha Waymond” explains to Evelyn that several parallel universes exist with different versions of themselves. The entirety of all parallel universes – the so-called multiverse – is threatened by an evil power and only Evelyn can stop it.
A journey through different universes
The tax office is now transformed into a wild martial arts battleground. Evelyn travels through different universes and tries to access the abilities of all the versions of herself in order to fight against evil. In the process, she notices that her alternate versions lead much more exciting lives than her – and begins to wonder whether she has often taken a wrong turn in her life.
The audience finds themselves in worlds where people have hot dogs for fingers or are no longer people but stones. In addition to such absurd gags, directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert include references to all kinds of films from the past. It’s easy to lose track in this chaos. One thing is certain: you’ve never seen anything like it in the cinema before.
Despite all its quirks, the film also has a sociological and emotional core. On the one hand, there is a touching family story. And an idea that also says a lot about our present. We live in a world in which we are constantly presented with other options and decisions. Where we constantly have to make decisions, which can sometimes be overwhelming. The question of whether we are living the best life for ourselves has probably rarely been played out more humorously than in this film.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
