South by Southwest film festival’s opening night movie got a standing ovation at the end of its screening. Everything Everywhere All At Once has been a highly-anticipated drop by the independent entertainment company A24, previously behind Midsommar and Hereditary. It screened at SXSW at 6 pm on the festival’s opening night, March 11.
Directed by duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the science fiction movie features an all-star cast including Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jenny Slate, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Harry Shum Jr. It takes a deep dive into the multiverse as the leading characters come face-to-face with generational trauma, their flaws, and their so-called enemies.
Everything Everywhere All At Once standing ovation
At the end of the screening, both directors, Yeoh, Quan, Curtis, and lead actor Stephanie Hsu, came out on stage to chat about their movie and take questions from the audience. Upon entrance, the audience erupted in cheers — standing up and giving the talent a standing ovation.
By the loud reaction, it’s clear that the headliner was an audience favorite. As the audience cheers, the moderator of the Q&A can be heard saying, “Oh man, I love this movie. I’m crying.”
During the Q&A, the creators talked about their experience navigating tough themes like generational trauma and mental illness. The cast also shared how they tapped into their character with actor Quan admitting to studying the movements and behaviors of many animals to prepare for his role.
It was also revealed that Curtis waited to watch the movie for the first time until its SXSW premiere as she wanted to see it with an audience.
What is the movie about?
Everything Everywhere All At Once has a long line that reads, “Everything Everywhere All At Once is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action-adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Yeoh) who can’t seem to finish her taxes.” It was produced by the Russo Brothers, Anthony, and Joe Russo.
The action-packed movie drops March 25 but will screen earlier in select theaters. It held its world premiere at SXSW. Everything Everywhere All At Once is Kwan and Scheinert’s second feature movie, a follow-up to Swiss Army Man which starred Daniel Radcliffe and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Scheinert has an additional feature movie called The Death of Dick Long.
The trailer below teases many of the movie’s attention-grabbing aspects, including sequences featuring Yeoh with hot dog fingers and a talking raccoon.
Everything Everywhere All At Once will be released in theaters on March 25.