The unsung hero of Everything Everywhere All at Once

Dear Blog Diary,
Everything, everywhere, all at once.

I love this movie for so many reasons. Specifically in this entry I’m going to talk about masculinity.

The unsung hero in the film: Waymond

 The husband, played by Ke Huy Quan. Funny thing, his character doesn’t get an arc. He’s the same in the beginning as he is in the end. He begs for the approval of his wife, Evelyn. He lacks ambition. He scrapes by with his own incompetence to run a business and lead the family as a man.

And then through the multi-verse set up of the film, we meet Alpha Waymond from the Alpha-verse. He’s the kung fu fanny pack-wielding badass who beats the shit out of all the guards. He is in total control of himself and handles every obstacle precisely. Always knows what to do. 

This is how our society views a “masculine” man.

He’s also impatient with Evelyn as he forcefully instructs her every step, and abandons her when she doesn’t meet his expectations.

Then we meet Successful Waymond in the tuxedo. He exists in a universe where he never married Evelyn and is wildly successful, rich, respected. He’s everything Evelyn would want her Waymond to be. He expresses his take on the world, how in their past Evelyn viewed him as weak but he views it as his strength to see the good in the world and to be kind.

He gives my favorite line in the movie, “In another universe, I would have really enjoyed just doing laundry and taxes with you.”

We see Waymond who is successful in every way, and yet we pity him – because all the riches in the world can’t erase the longing in his heart for her.

Then we get a closer look at our Waymond.

He's the one who ultimately saves the business, through his vulnerability and grace. "I just talked to her." He’s the voice of reason pleading for everyone to stop fighting and be kind. He doesn’t hide his sadness in his marriage and lets go of that pain, without ego, and embraces Evelyn's love. His natural reaction is to understand, not to react.

In a society that often conflates masculinity with violence or wealth, yes it comes with the territory. Protect and provide.

Yet we foolishly think there's only one way to do that.

Best,
E
#ARTiculate