By İrem Naz Duymuş (AMER/III) & Eda Emekoğlu (AMER/III)
nazduymus@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
eda.emekoglu@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
In the midst of the mid-term season, where people fight over empty seats in the dining hall or empty chairs in our well-heated library, I, for one, feel like nothing is changing and time is stuck. I know that’s a bit depressing, but isn’t November the right time to feel like this? After Halloweekend and before Christmas, I think we ought to feel stuck.
If this resonates even a little with you, I have the perfect remedy: Watch “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The film pulls you in instantly—with its colours, transitions and inter-dimensional setting. Even though the plot might feel a little complicated at first, it delivers its message beautifully once you surrender to the chaos. I wasn’t convinced I’d recommend it in the first hour because it seemed too much of everything: too many sounds, too many scenes, too many universes—but somehow the acting grounds it all. It’s no wonder it swept the Oscars (though I’m still critical of the establishment itself). At its heart, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is about a family—and the tragic irony of how love and miscommunication can coexist. Isn’t that what family is all about? Every actor makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into a home with warmth and chaos: a place where emotions spill over, and yet, beneath it all, there is warmth. Maybe that’s why it feels like the perfect movie for November. Because warmth and chaos are exactly what this month is made of. The frantic energy of deadlines, mid-terms and the quiet comfort of our friends feels like the same messy, beautiful balance the film captures. Additionally, if you like love stories, I think the movie is going to make you tear up—because, well, let’s just say I’ve never considered doing laundry a romantic activity. But don’t worry about needing too many tissues; you’ll be laughing just as much. Between universes, absurd jokes and weird hands, you’ll find yourself laughing because the movie reminds us how life is ridiculous and that’s why we endure it.
Ridiculous or not, it got me out of my stuck state when I watched it with a friend. I would suggest you do the same, but I guess we won’t be able to watch a film or prepare snacks or even just have a cup of coffee with our friends in the dormitory, since 6:30 p.m. is an hour after the last lecture of the day. Don’t worry though, we can sleep whenever we want to…at least for now. Maybe that’s why I am writing this as an official recommendation rather than watching it with friends. Who knows? If you have recommendations like this, feel free to send them because nothing has struck me lately, and I was hoping for a movie worth escaping my mid-terms. Don’t forget today is 11.11: make a wish; do a manifestation. Here’s mine: Watching a film with my friends, watching a film with my friends…
