Everything Everywhere All at Once — Blog

Bad news and good news

The thing about mass shootings is that you have to worry about copycats imitating the unholy deed. A deranged person seeing the news of someone similar to him committing a crime can be just enough of a push to make him follow through. That’s why the media have to balance between reporting on a mass shooting and also not glorifying the details of the shooter. It’s a tricky situation for sure.

Sadly, not two days after the horrific tragedy in Monterey Park, another shooting occurred close to home. A senior Asian male killed seven people in Half Moon Bay, motive unknown. I can’t help but wonder that this guy saw the news of a similar-aged Asian male shooting up a dance hall in Monterey Park, and thought that he also can move along with his evil plans. The Asian American community is hurting, our sense of safety is shattered everywhere.

In other news, Everything Everywhere All at Once leads all movies this year with 11 Oscar nominations! I’m particularly happy for Stephanie Hsu getting the nod in the supporting actress category. The numerous flowers for Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh during this awards season are well deserved, but Stephanie Hsu’s multi-faceted performance as the daughter has been somewhat overlooked. I’m happy the Academy gave her recognition with the nomination.

That said, if Ke Huy Quan doesn’t win the best supporting actor category, we riot! I look forward a merry Oscar watch party with friends.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the multiverse done correctly! I am so glad I watched it after seeing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Because had it been reserved, I would have been sorely disappointed at the multiverse treatment in Doctor Strange. Everything Everywhere All at Once is a masterpiece in storytelling, weaving a first-generation Chinese American story into an allegorical tale about the meaning of life.

The film is surprisingly nihilistic! I did not expect to find the positive interpretation of Nietzsche in this movie, one I resonate with profoundly. Because “nothing matters”, we are then free to do anything we want to. A nihilistic view of the world provides the proper perspective for me. The little annoyances of everyday life simply disappear. The big challenges get tackled with a clear mind and plenty of courage. Setbacks and tragedies cannot hurt me: because none of it matters.

This juxtaposes the common view of nihilism: because nothing matters, why try at anything? It’s a defeatist attitude that I am completely against. But whenever I bring up Nietzsche in polite conversation, that’s the reaction I get from people. Something tells me they aren’t ready to accept their ultimate cosmic insignificance. The daughter in Everything Everywhere All at Once explains to the mother that this moment, our lives, is but a spec of dust in the grande scheme of universal time.

Alongside the nihilistic theme is a Chinese American story. An overbearing mother, yearning to undo the mistakes of her parents, creates a monster of a daughter? Most of us first-generation Chinese American kids can relate to that. This is the sort of representation in film that we would want to see: how to tell an Asian American story, without telling an Asian American story.

Everything Everywhere All at Once had better receive some Oscar nominations. Otherwise, it’s AAPI hate!