"Everything Everywhere" parodies Marvel comics and pokes fun at pop culture. And it needs to be seen

On April 7, the second work of the ambitious director duo Daniel Scheinert and Dan Kwan, who call themselves simply Daniels, is released in Russian cinemas. The film is distributed by the indie studio A24, famous for its unusual projects - starting with neon drama about the robbery, ending with a meditative chivalrous epic.

The same company produced the Daniels' debut film, Swiss Army Man. She at one time made a splash at Sundance and divided the audience into two camps: some people were outraged by the film about friendship with a corpse, while others were delighted.

"Swiss Army Man" parodied Robinsonade like Rogue One, and Everywhere All At Once turned out to be a clever caricature of Marvel comics and other similar tales of travel through the multiverse. Therefore, it will primarily be enjoyed by pop culture fans and moviegoers who instantly read references to Ratatouille and The Matrix.

But fans of the unusual arthouse, and indeed all viewers in general, should also watch the film by the Daniels. Indeed, behind the extravagant cover, the authors, like last time, hid a universal and understandable story about family values ​​and love.

Similarities with Marvel and cool actors in an unusual role

Evelyn, a Chinese immigrant, runs a small family laundry business. Things are going very badly, there is absolutely no help from the mattress-husband, the elderly father has finally fallen into insanity, and the daughter has gotten out of hand. In addition, Evelyn needs to deal with taxes somehow. But everything changes when the heroine's wife is suddenly infused with his version from another universe.

From him, the woman learns that the world is threatened by a villain named Job Tupac. Only Evelyn can save the day. Superpowers will help her in this: now she can get the skills of her alternative versions if she does something strange. For example, eat lipstick or swap your sneakers.

Everything is produced by the Russo brothers, who have directed several films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is inextricably linked with the idea of ​​parallel worlds in which anything can happen. The multiverse was first mentioned in the first Doctor Strange. Subsequently, this idea was developed in the fourth part of the Avengers, and then in other key titles studios.

So, the typical Marvel story about a hero with extraordinary abilities who saves the world from great evil seems to be sewn into the work of the Daniels. And the motif of the multiverse further emphasizes this similarity. Only here, instead of the character, ideal in all respects, in the center of the story - literally the worst version of the heroine of all possible.

The actors in "Everything Everywhere and At Once" surprise no less than the author's fantasy. Luxurious Michelle Yeoh, who many remember for her roles in "Memoirs of a Geisha", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Crazy rich Asians, ”plays an untidy woman, as exhausted as possible by life, and a fit Jamie Lee Curtis is generally difficult at first discover.

A drama about family relationships and self-discovery

At the same time, the story of travel in the multiverse is intertwined with Evelyn's personal drama. The heroine, on the one hand, cannot find a common language with her daughter, and on the other hand, she is going through a crisis in her relationship with her husband and father. And this part of the plot involuntarily makes you think about how people are moving further and further away from each other with each new generation.

So, Evelyn at the beginning of the film is not yet ready to accept her daughter as a lesbian for who she is. At the same time, she suffers from the indifference and cruelty of her father, who never came to terms with her decision to leave life in her homeland and start all over again in another country.

At the same time, it is also a movie about broken hopes and dreams. And this message will resonate in the heart of everyone who has experienced sadness at least once because of the realization of being an ordinary, unremarkable person. “Everything is everywhere and at once” reminds that it is not necessary to become a martial artist or a virtuoso cook in order to live in peace with others and with yourself.

A kaleidoscope of genres and branded repulsed humor

The title of the film fully corresponds to the feeling of watching, which can be compared to a ride on a rollercoaster. The viewer is thrown from a colorful Chinese laundry to an office space, from the atmosphere of The Matrix to the world of In the Mood for Love. Wong Kar-Wai. And this change of locations is happening at an incredible speed, not allowing you to really comprehend what is happening.

Moreover, “Everything is everywhere and at once” is precisely an absurdist comedy. And in some moments, the Daniels are denied a sense of proportion. As a result, the fight scenes dildo and jumping on anal plugs do not let you forget that the film was staged by the authors of Swiss Army Knife Man, where one of the two main characters is a dead man with flatulence.

But the talent of the tandem of directors is precisely that over the film, where in one of the storylines people with sausages instead of fingers appear, and the main evil is a donut, you end up crying. Just as in The Swiss Army Knife Man the Daniels made people empathize with the corpse, so here, towards the end, questions of love and mutual understanding come to the fore.

“Everything is everywhere and at once”, like many A24 projects, will not suit everyone. But if you are ready to appreciate any, even the most shameless, humor and just love unusual movies - do not think for a second. This is a funny, crazy, beautifully shot and touching film, far from being perfect in everything. But it is thanks to this imperfection that it will definitely become a cult.