5 Things to Know About the Oscar Winner All, everywhere, at once
With 7 Oscars won, this insane sci-fi and kung fu film stands out as the big winner of the 2023 Oscars
1. First Oscar for an Asian woman
In its 95-year history, the ceremony had never awarded an Oscar to a woman of Asian descent. However, the film’s leading lady, Michelle Yeoh, won the Academy Award for Best Actress, a first. Michelle Yeoh continues to chain successes after 40 years of career. First Golden Globes favorite, then Screen Actors, she twice walked away with the Best Actress award. This former dancer from the Royal Ballet School in London clearly deserves her award. This outstanding stuntwoman of elegant beauty told the New York Times, “I hope this will break that friggin’ glass ceiling, that it’ll continue like this and that we’ll see more of our faces up there,” after learning of his Oscar nomination.
2. Michelle Yeoh, Maitre d’Art Martial
Michelle Yeoh plays a woman confronting her multiverse destiny in this sci-fi film that plunges us into a fantastical universe with schoolboy humor. She amazes with her knowledge and mastery of martial arts. But it is unaware that before she stopped dancing due to an injury, the actress cut her teeth in martial arts. She has been a stuntwoman and has notably worked with Jackie Chan on all kinds of Hong Kong productions, lately Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). One last thing: she was a James Bond girl tomorrow never dies (1997) with Pierce Bronan.
3. An eccentric directing duo
You should know that the two directors, who met at Boston University, don’t fall into the register of the absurd on the first try. In fact, they first started their careers by creating music videos in particular Decline for what for DJ Snake. This crazy clip, like the song, has been viewed over a billion times on Youtube. Another film that shows her penchant for the absurd and the comic is the film Swiss army man, in which Paul Dano befriends a farting corpse played by Daniel Radcliffe on an island. During the promotion of this film, the idea of EEAAO was born!
4. Rich and varied references
From RatatouilleTo 2001 a space odyssey Based on films by Wong Kar Wai, the director duo uses both pop culture and auteur films. In the film, Evelyn is a chosen one, the only one who can save the world, like Neo in matrix. The directors also embraced her inspiration: “I thought if I could make something half as fun matrix, but with our own imprint and spirit.” They also explain that they wanted to instill the kind of visceral pleasure one experiences when watching a kung fu movie. It’s that richness and mix that literally nailed the jury to their seat and allowed the film to win 7 Oscars.
5. An intimate family history
If you can feel the success of this film, it’s mainly because it’s actually a strong and intimate story. It paints the portrait of a Chinese-American family or shines with a critique of the psychological burden on women, with inheritance conflicts or generational problems. Beyond being a crazy and burlesque action film, it’s also a film that deals with serious and complex issues. It’s a social fable that combines intimacy with action and is not lacking in humor. In short, it’s an extremely rich film that fits the era and taste.
