Why Everything Everywhere All At Once Won Best Picture

there are a thousand reasons why everything everywhere all at once deserves to win Awards but if I was to choose just one I would say that it's the film's refreshing take on the meaning of life what is the truth many see the meaning of life as the process of attaining or achieving something extraordinary whilst others believe that there is no greater meaning to life whatsoever nothing matters everything everyone will at once doesn't fall into either of these camps and instead tells us that meaning can be found not in any substantial thing but in our everyday relationships to each other the film's humorous symbolism primes us for this philosophical debate The Bagel represents the utter absence of meaning when everything in every universe is bundled together whilst the googly eye represents the exact opposites filling the void at the bagel center with purpose the dualism here is a direct reference to Yin and Yang recurring symbols that are used to describe opposites yet interconnected forces if the googly eye is a direct opposite to the everything bagel then there must surely be meaning in this seemingly meaningless Multiverse before we meet jobu tapaki we learn that Evelyn is struggling with this very dilemma she is constantly looking outwards dreaming about Grand vocations that might fill her life with more meaning than working at a laundrette's iamas singer of course you're also a novelist and a chef last time you told me that club please here Evelyn's thought process mirrors that of contemporary Western philosophy where the meaning of life is often discussed within the context of extraordinary achievements like curing cancer or producing great works of art yet such Milestones are not possible for most Ordinary People not everyone can be the next Michelangelo or Mother Teresa luckily not all philosophers take this view East Asian philosophy and Confucianism in particular gives us a much more inclusive perspective Confucius thought that meaning wasn't The Preserve of Highly intellectual Pursuits or grand projects but could instead be found in simple Human Relationships by forming loving bonds with siblings parents spouses and Friends people are able to demonstrate virtues such as honesty propriety and loyalty that reverberate through the generations as two-way Ming writes Confucianism leads us to realize the ultimate meaning of life in ordinary human existence it follows then that one of the best places to find meaning in life is the family it is a fundamental concept that has been repeatedly proven to transcend culture time and the film's Multiverse familiar relationships are the common denominator that links each of the main characters in almost every Universe despite the radically different circumstances they live in the wangs are quite simply everywhere Confucius had a lot to say on family in particular he viewed the values and character that are learned from parents as playing a foundational role in our development as moral agents parents are after all responsible for raising happy healthy and productive children that can lead rich and morally good lives since these children will go on to impact human civilization and culture the project of parenting becomes according to Confucianism an important source of meaning and purpose we see just how impactful parents can be through the origin story of jobu tupaki in the alpha verse after they had discovered verse jumping and seen George potential Evelyn pushed her too hard he saw her potential so he pushed her Beyond her limit just like Evelyn from the original Universe Alpha Evelyn was so obsessed with grand accomplishments like curing diseases and ending war that she forgot about caring for joy and raising her to become a Force for good instead she became jobaki an all-powerful being with no sense of morality any sense of morality any belief in objective truth further fragments of this strained relationship are revealed throughout the film Evelyn thinks she has been a good mother but has unwittingly pushed her daughter Away by choosing to believe that Joy is a different person to who she really is only do the right thing for her right as a tiny box invented by people who are afraid and I know what it feels like to be trapped inside that box it is not only the parental relationship between joy and Evelyn that is problematic the relationship between Evelyn and her father gong gong is just as difficult 's refusal to accept who Evelyn really is mirrors Evelyn's own attitude towards her daughter in particular she struggles to accept her daughter's sexuality and the fact she has a girlfriend a hesitation that has clearly been inherited from her father this is Becky Becky Becky Stillwater hope of this it's also clear that Evelyn resents seeing all of her own personal failings being reflected in Joy she turned out to be stubborn aimless a mess here we start to see the lack of genuine connection and empathy between mother and daughter that ultimately led to the creation of JB tupaki Joy doesn't fit the mold of what Evelyn expects of her daughter so she tries to push her into something she's not without stepping back to think of the consequences it is this lack of connection between mother and daughter that leads both towards a sense of Bleak nihilism that there is no meaning to be found in the entirety of the Multiverse we're just going around circles do laundry taxes and laundry and taxes the only one that is able to counteract this meaningless circle of life as represented by the bagel is Waymond despite not meeting Evelyn's expectations or being especially remarkable in any way he's the only one that seems to be genuinely happy this is because he chooses not to chase some greater calling or get wrapped up in material distractions but instead focus on nurturing a family that he adores of course Evelyn doesn't see this all she sees are the many roads not taken the inconvenience of a daughter that doesn't meet her expectations the disappointing husband and the inane materialist details of life it is only after Evelyn has seen Wayman Stay True to this idea of loving relationships above all else does she truly start to understand that her purpose was staring her in the face this entire time foreign this leads Evelyn to finally see that for both her and her daughter to lead a life they find meaningful she needs to break the cycle of poison relationships and truly connect with joy instead of taking her parenting tips from gong Evelyn now starts to adopt wayman's philosophy of being kind and seeing the good side of things she forgets about everything in every universe and instead focuses solely on her relationship with her daughter no matter what I still want to be here with you through everything Evelyn finds that her true place is with joy there is no need for any grandiose achievements the only thing that truly matters is passing on to her daughter The Compassion support and acceptance that she never received from her own father through this acts Evelyn corrects the generational intolerance that has long prevented her from forming loving bonds with her family which sets up a chain of meaningful relationships to come this is how Evelyn fulfills her purpose and finally finds meaning in her life then I will cherish these few specks of time thanks for watching I'm Jake bishop and this is socio Cinema the channel where I read between the lines of the screenplay and put films into context if this sounds like something you're interested in then please do like subscribe and follow me on social media

Channel: Jake Bishop

Views: 219,156

Keywords: everything everywhere all at once, oscars 2023, best picture, everything everywhere all at once explained, everything everywhere all at once ending explained, everything everywhere all at once meaning of life, everything everywhwere all at once analysis, michelle yeoh, ke huy quan

Id: hDUpQ0ALew0

Length: 8min 59sec (539 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 14 2023