“Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” directed and written by Dan Kwan and Daniel Schienart, is the newest A24 production to hit theaters, grossing $26.9 million in box offices in the U.S. alone. 

The highly anticipated film has a stacked cast of extremely talented actors, including Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis. Michelle Yeoh, specifically, has received recognition for her titular role in the film, playing a Chinese American businesswoman and mother who, among other personal turmoils, just can’t seem to finish her taxes. 

Rated 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, “Everything Everywhere” is a unique and fantastical science-fiction story that gives viewers a refreshing and tear-jerking tale of heartbreak, immigration and family.

“[The film is] a brilliant depiction of powerlessness’s manifestation as indifference and how the realization of control can change your life. Strangely hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. I wish I could tattoo this movie on my body,” Chloe Rose Platt, a first-year Seattle U journalism and creative writing major, said. 

More than just a visually stunning film, the themes of dealing with intergenerational trauma and being an immigrant in America leave audiences thinking of the movie days later. 

“My friends and I all left the theater in tears. It is so timely considering the state of the world today and deals with such important topics—from intergenerational trauma to the immigrant experience in America and the burdens of living in a capitalist society. Amazing performances and lots of diversity/representation too!” Cullin Egge, a third-year social work and Spanish major, said. 

This is one of several recently released films which have explored topics of intergenerational healing. Movies like Pixar’s 2022 “Turning Red” and Disney’s 2021 “Encanto” explored the topic in a more child-friendly format than “Everything Everywhere,” but the impact is felt by all audiences nonetheless. 

The film’s recognition continues the stellar selection of movies that A24 is distributing. Other movies released by the production house are now household names, including Ari Aster’s 2019 horror film “Midsommar” starring Florence Pugh and Greta Gerwig’s 2017 coming-of-age film “Lady Bird.” 

“Everything Everywhere” beautifully balances the deep feelings connected to family and the meaning of life with quirky and absurd comedic scenes. 

“[‘Everything Everywhere’] absolutely wrecked me in the best possible way. You are doing yourself a disservice to not view this film. I feel changed. I feel moved,” Dani León, a third-year film studies major, said.

Importantly, the impact of the recent push for representation in Hollywood has touched more than just the viewers. The story of Ke Huy Quan’s return to acting is especially inspirational. 

A child actor, Ke Huy Quan starred in movies like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” as Short Round, and the role of Data in the cult classic “The Goonies.” He then stepped away from Hollywood, retiring from his acting career in 2002.

In an interview with Looper, Quan said, “It was really tough for an Asian actor to work at that time, because those opportunities came very few and far in between.”

He continued to speak about his return, attributing it to the fear of missing out he felt after seeing blockbuster movies in recent years starring Asian actors and focusing on Asian stories, like “Crazy Rich Asians,” which came out in 2018. 

Quan’s own story shows the importance of representation in film. Being able to see oneself in movies is especially empowering, even moving Quan enough to come out of retirement.

Similarly with Marvel’s 2021 “Spiderman: No Way Home” and 2022 “Multiverse of Madness,” “Everything Everywhere” explores the concept of the multiverse in an unprecedented and comical way, using this exploration to draw on themes of the purpose and meaning of life. This movie beautifully highlights how damning or how freeing it can be to believe that nothing matters.

If you haven’t put “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” on your watchlist, then you are missing out. The deep themes of the movie are beautifully packaged in a visual experience unlike any other, featuring a riveting performance by the leading cast that will leave you walking out of the theater in contemplative silence and awe. This movie is something that you will want to experience more than once.