Makers on multiverse scenes in Hollywood’s money-making Everything Everywhere All At Once: ‘Sometimes it looked like subway maps…’| Scene Stealer
Someone on the internet had referred to The Daniels’ surprising money-making feature Everything Everywhere All At Once as ‘absurdist.’ It is right on the money, but I would also add wonderful. The film is absurd in every sense of the term. First of, it is plain weird (once you watch the trailer, let alone the full movie, you’d get a hint of what I am talking about). But not only is it unusual and cool, it is also absurd in literary terms as it explores the meaninglessness of life and speaks of, via its central characters, the existential crisis which we sometimes suffer from.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is a 2022 release, which became a surprise hit and wowed the critics at the same time as it set the cash registers ringing. The film, despite its bizarre and mind-boggling visuals and the extremely long title, is as commercial as it gets. It is a family saga, it is a love story, it discusses moral and ethical dilemmas, life’s purpose, the works. But it is its magical yet silly treatment that sets it apart from the others in the genre. The movie is also a comedy, a slice-of-life film and an action film buff’s delight. In fact, until the excellent Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn first experiences her ‘switch,’ where she tunes in to another universe to find her usually docile husband (a brilliant Ke Huy Quan who makes his comeback to movies after two decades post his popular stint in Indiana Jones and The Goonies) being a hyper-manic karate expert, you think this is a slice-of-life thing. An indie movie about a Chinese immigrant family living in the US and working with what they have got.
From thereon, the directing duo of the Daniels take us on a ride of a lifetime that is filled with love and wonder. It is the movie magic theatres were made for. Among the many sweeping, grand things the filmmakers manage in Everything Everywhere All At Once, one cannot but stare dumbstruck at the kind of multiverse we get to witness here. It’s unlike anything you have ever seen before, especially in the MCU. Evelyn gets a chance to live the various lives she would have lived had she made different choices, and no points for guessing where she ultimately wants to be.
Speaking about creating the multiverse, the Daniels told Fox 5, “Sometimes it looked like subway maps, with all their various connections. I tried one where it was like concentric circles that kept expanding outward, trying to connect all the dots. We like to write from a place where we don’t know why we’re writing or where it’s going to go at first, just so we can find something unique or pure that isn’t coming from our conscious brains actively trying to solve a problem. After that, we distill it all down and figure out what the movie’s actually about.”
“The a-ha moment for me came after we’d thrown a ton of stuff at the wall, and written so many universes across a couple of drafts. Then, we zeroed in on Evelyn’s character and tried to focus on her journey from a classical screenwriting perspective. What does she want? What are her challenges? Suddenly, universes started to fall by the wayside, until we found the ones that would make her journey relatable,” they concluded.
Interestingly, Everything Everywhere All At Once has been co-produced by the famous Russo Brothers, who have helmed some of the most popular (Marvel) movies till date (read Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, The Avengers: Infinity War and the Avengers: Endgame).
The film is currently running in cinemas in India, so if you’re here, make sure you spare some time to watch this one on the big screen. You won’t regret it.
