CineTv contest: Everything Everywhere All At Once (A mother's love across universes)

Motherhood doesn't come with a manual, but if it did, I imagine it'd still leave out the most important part - the exhaustation, the quiet sacrifices, the love that hides behind tough words and tired eyes. It's a role that often goes unnoticed until you pause and really look.

That probably why Everything Everywhere All At Once hit me harder than I expected. Yes, it's a fast-paced sci-fi ride through the multiverse, but at it's core, it's a powerful story about a mother, her daughter, and all the things they struggle to say to each other. I didn't expect a chaotic multiverse film to capture it so well.

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The film follows Evelyn Wang, a stressed-out laundromat owner who's trying to survive an IRS audit when she's suddenly pulled into a universe-hopping mission to save reality. It's as absurd and funny as it sounds - hot dog fingers, googly eyes, raccoons and all - but what really struck me was the heart of the story: Evelyn's strained relationship with her daughter, Joy.

Evelyn isn't perfect. In fact, she's painfully human - tired, overwhelmed, and often emotionally distant. She criticises more than she comforts. She tried to show love, but it comes out in awkward, heavy-handed ways. And Joy, equally hurt and confused, starts to drift away, both emotionally and (thanks to the plot) across dimensions.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this emotional distance is the real "villian" of the film - not some cosmic evil, but the failure to understand and accept each other. Evelyn is chasing Joy across infinite versions of reality, trying to understand her, trying to choose her. And when she finally does, when she finally says "Even in all the universes, I want to be here... with you" I felt tears prick my eyes.

That moment made me think about the mothers I know. The ones who may not always get it right, who carry the weight of their families without always knowing how to say "I love you". Through cooking, scolding, sacrificing, and staying. And like Evelyn, they may not be superheroes, but they keep showing up, even when they don't know how you fix everything.

Michelle Yeoh gives a beautiful, grounded performance as Evelyn - equal parts fierce, lost, and loving. And Stephenie Hsu as Joy perfectly captures what it means to long for connection while trying to define yourself on your own terms. The visuals are wild and inventive, and the editing is rapid-fire and bold, but what grounds the film is its emotional core.

In a cinematic landscapes filled with superhero moms and tragic backstories, Everything Everywhere All At Once offers something more honest: a messy, fierce, evolving version of motherhood. One that says "I see you. I'm trying. I love you, even if I don't always know how to show it."

So yes, the movie is chaotic, loud, and a little ridiculous - but so is love, sometimes. Especially the kind that mothers give, silently and honestly, even when it's misunderstood.

Thanks for reading. Why don't you join the CineTv contest too. Share your story, your perspective 👇👇

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