Southeastern film critics name 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' best movie of 2022

"Everything Everywhere All at Once," a brain-bending comedy-drama that launches a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner on a dangerous but zany adventure through a non-Marvel multiverse of alternate lives, was named the best movie of 2022 by the Southeastern Film Critics Association.

A blend of science-fiction and slapstick that touches on issues of ethnic, class and sexual identity as it hop-scotches among dimensions, the film — a surprise hit that has collected more than $100 million at the worldwide box office — also earned honors for Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh, a fan favorite since her days in Hong Kong martial arts cinema), Best Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan (in something of a comeback, from his child actor days in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies"), and Best Director and Best Original Screenplay (in both cases credited to the team of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as "Daniels").

Eighty-four critics across nine Southern states participated in the annual poll, according to SEFCA president Matt Goldberg, editorial director at Turner Classic Movies, who announced the voting results Monday. The association was founded in 1992, and includes critics and cultural commentators from print, broadcast and online media, with three members in Memphis: John Beifuss of The Commercial Appeal; Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian; and Chris McCoy of the Memphis Flyer.

“Personally, I am thrilled SEFCA recognized 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' in so many categories," said the Atlanta-based Goldberg. "As strange as the film can be, its core message of embracing the richness of our relationships… will endure far beyond this year’s award season.”

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Meanwhile, SEFCA's signature honor, the Gene Wyatt Award, which recognizes films that embody or examine the South, went to a largely Memphis-based if Australia-made movie: Baz Luhrmann's extravagant biopic, "Elvis." The runner-up was Chinonye Chukwu's "Till," about the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till. The award is named for the late Gene Wyatt, a critic with the Nashville Tennessean who was a charter member of the group.

The SEFCA vote came during a busy weekend for year-end rankings by film critics. In a rare tie vote, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave Best Picture recognition to both "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tár," in which Cate Blanchett plays a dictatorial symphony conductor; meanwhile, the Boston Society of Film Critics anointed the underdog "Return to Seoul," a French-and-Korean-language film shot primarily in South Korea. Earlier in the week, the New York Film Critics Circle picked "Tár," while the National Board of Review named "Top Gun: Maverick."

Here is the complete list of SEFCA winners:

Top 10 films

1. "Everything Everywhere All at Once"

2. "The Banshees of Inisherin"

3. "The Fabelmans"

4. "Tár"

5. "Top Gun: Maverick"

6. "RRR"

7. "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery"

8. "Women Talking"

9. "Nope"

10. "The Batman"

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Best Actor: Colin Farrell, "The Banshees of Inisherin." Runner-up: Brendan Fraser, "The Whale."

Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Runner-up: Cate Blanchett, "Tár."

Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Runner-up: Brendan Gleeson, "The Banshees of Inisherin."

Best Supporting Actress: Kerry Condon, "The Banshees of Inisherin." Runner-up: Stephanie Hsu, "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

Best Ensemble: "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." Runner-Up: "Women Talking."

Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Runner-Up: Steven Spielberg, "The Fabelmans."

Best Original Screenplay: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Runner-Up: Martin McDonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin."

Best Adapted Screenplay: Sarah Polley, "Women Talking." Runner-up: Rian Johnson, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery."

Best Documentary: "Fire of Love." Runner-up: "Good Night Oppy."

Best Foreign-Language Film: "RRR" (India). Runner-up: "Decision to Leave" (South Korea).

Best Animated Film: "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio." Runner-up: "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On."

Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda, "Top Gun: Maverick." Runner-up: Janusz Kaminski, "The Fabelmans."

Best Score: Michel Giacchino, "The Batman." Runner-up: John Williams, "The Fabelmans."

The Gene Wyatt Award (Film That Best Evokes the Spirit of the South): "Elvis." Runner-up: "Till."

For more information (including lists of winners from years past), visit SEFCA.net.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 2022's top films: Southeastern Film Critics release picks