The film could be considered quietly revolutionary — unless, of course, you specifically seek the comfort and assurance of the formulaic.

The sight of José Andrés on the ground and covered in sweat helps to divert any thoughts of cynicism.

Take the legacy character out of the equation, and this is virtually indistinguishable from any garden-variety horror/thriller released in the post-Oscars dumping ground. 

Per the internal logic of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ every decision a person makes prompts the universe to splinter. The resulting parallel universes represent the paths not chosen.

Writer-director Mr. Linklater again employs rotoscoping — drawing over live-action footage — to illustrate alternate realities, as with his ‘Waking Life’ (2001) and ‘A Scanner Darkly’ (2006). 

MARTIN TSAI

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