‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ film review — why this otherworldly sci-fi comedy triumphed at the Oscars

Have you ever wondered about your alternate self’s actions in a parallel universe? It's likely that you've imagined multiple descriptions, scenarios, and ideas about what your life might look like in a place that's completely inaccessible to your present self. The possibilities are boundless, surpassing even the most extravagant imagination. If you're intrigued by other universes, then the 2022 Oscar-winning drama ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ is a film you won't want to miss.

There are many reasons why the film caught the attention of millions of viewers all around the world, and earned multiple international awards, including seven Oscars. 

Blending together elements of action, mystery, comedy, and absurdity into a single, cohesive whole, the story revolves around the Wang family, Chinese American immigrants who run a laundromat and grapple with the complexities of taxes. The plot thickens when Deirdre Beaubeirdre, an IRS inspector played by Jamie Lee Curtis, arrives and strange occurrences begin to happen to Evelyn Quan Wang, played by Michelle Yeoh.

A magnificent journey through multiverse 

The story takes an otherworldly turn when Evelyn meets a version of her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), from the ‘Alphaverse’. Alpha-Waymond commandeers Waymond's body to explain the existence of countless parallel universes, each one created by the infinite life choices made by every individual. He further reveals that Evelyn is the only one capable of saving the multiverse from the destructive power of Jobu Tupaki's (Stephanie Hsu ) "Everything Bagel," a toroidal singularity that resembles a black hole and poses a threat to the existence of the multiverse.

Alpha-Waymond imparts upon Evelyn the knowledge of "verse-jumping," a skill that allows her to access the abilities and knowledge of every version of herself that exists in parallel universes. With this newfound skill, Evelyn sets out to save the multiverse and embark on an incredible adventure.