Karl’s review published on Letterboxd:
An undeniable feat of filmmaking in terms of editing and creativity. Though I've grown tired of the multiverse premise but having Michelle Yeoh at the helm and no other than Ke Huy Quan (The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) playing her husband injects much needed life. Had Hollywood made this, pretty boys and girls of the YA crowd would certainly be the leads. That's not to say the film is absent of youth and the energy that comes with it. Stephanie Hsu plays Joy as Evelyn's (Yeoh) daughter. A clash of generations ensues. Not only with mother and daughter but with Evelyn's traditional father, Gong Gong, played by the iconic James Hong.
As the much said, OK BOOMER and those DAMN KIDS tells us, we are all divided into our own universes, generationally and certainly culturally. This Sunday the Oscars are on. In years past many people around the world would tune in or at least be aware of it. I asked several co-workers and students about it and they didn't even know it was on. Now we are all in our own universes based on our interests. Shared events by the masses are growing more and more scarce. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you.
What I appreciate about Everything Everywhere All at Once is how it causes one to reflect on their own life as well as our shared ones. Evelyn's ability to to see simultaneous versions of herself had me thinking about what my alternates would be. Some surely would be better off, some worse or maybe even dead. So while I certainly admire all of what the film had to say and it's technical prowess, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Is it a film I respect more than love. I'm not sure. Still processing. I'm pretty sure there's a Karl out there that unabashedly adores it and another one who thinks it's another pretentious overlong film from A24. This Karl really enjoyed it at first, them became a bit tired by it, and finally really admired it.
