How Indie film “Everything Everywhere all at once” swept awards at the 2023 OSCARS “all at once”.
Soberien Kate Fernandez | Paula Esguerra | Staffer | The OLPSian Times
With its bizarre yet wacky take on the multiverse, the sci-fi dramedy “Everything Everywhere all at once”, written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, led the 2023 Oscars with 11 nominations and 7 Oscar wins, including the Best Picture award, known as the most prestigious award of the night.
The Chinese-American film, which was released last year in 2022, captured the hearts of many for its offbeat and dramatic landscape, showing themes such as intergenerational trauma and the importance of acceptance, kindness, and healing. So, it was no surprise that it was on top at the ceremony, with the most wins of anything ever nominated.
Winning ‘Best Actress for a Leading Role’ was actress Michelle Yeoh, who stars as Evelyn Wang. Yeoh became the first South-East Asian woman and the second person of color to ever win this category. “For all the little boys and girls, who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams dream big, and dreams do come true […] And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime. Never give up!” She said in her acceptance speech, whilst receiving an applaud from the crowd.
Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win best actress, taking the award for her lauded performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The 60-year-old Malaysian-born Yeoh won her first Oscar for a performance that relied as much on her comic and dramatic chops as it did her kung fu skills. She’s the first best actress win for a non-white actress in 20 years.
Another memorable win was Ke Huy Quan’s win for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ after his forced departure from the industry over a lack of opportunity. In previous interviews, Quan had opened up about the struggles of having to forcefully abandon his dream because of the lack of Asian roles available during the 1990s.
It was only after the release of an all-Asian cast movie, “Crazy Rich Asians,” last 2018 that he had a change of heart and began acting again.
“Mom, I just won an Oscar!” said Quan, 51, whose family fled Vietnam during the war when he was a child.
“[…] Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive. He yelled in his acceptance speech, teary eyed. Ke Huy Quan played the fun-loving husband, Waymond Wang.
The film also won awards for: Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, who expressed her gratitude to her late parents; Original Screenplay; Editing; and Best Directing.
Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert also known as “The Daniels”, started their acceptance speech for best directing with Scheinert expressing his gratitude to his parents and to everyone who worked on creating the film.
Following Kwan’s expression of gratitude to his family and to the cast, “There is greatness in every single person. It doesn’t matter who they are.” Kwan continued, “You have a genius waiting to erupt, you just have to find the right people to unlock that. Thank you so much to everyone who has unlocked my genius.”
“Everything Everywhere all at Once” became known for its eccentric and cinematic storytelling. With an almost-realistic beginning, a sci-fi-filled climax, and a bittersweet yet heartwarming ending, the film proves itself cohesive even with its array of multiple genres. glorious and unorthodox, captivating the audience and certainly winning the gold.
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