nothing, except everything.

I saw a tiktok about Wesley Wang selling this to Sony, and decided that I had to give it a chance. The first thing that struck me was the fact that David Mazouz, a lead actor in Gotham, and I realized that this high school short film was nothing comparable to the films I have the ability to make at my university. Whatever the budget was, it was stretched perfectly. But it's not indie.

The acting was great. Harper and Miles' characters play the part of lost high schoolers extremely well. The directing was fantastic, with great lighting and sound. The segmented computer bits are a bit of a crutch, and a cliche, but for a young director, it's something to work on.

The biggest issue I found with this short is its writing. A lot of the lines are stilted, and the problem I find with that is that it plays on existential realism, yet it doesn't feel fluid. Wang is a fantastic director, who definitely has a bring future, but he is not a writer.

Never have I see a short film strike me so hard, and I would've never thought this was produced and written by a HIGH SCHOOLER?

Just a great cinematic piece that really left me thinking after I watched. In only 13 minutes it felt like I already had watched a full 90+ minute movie.

Wesley Wang has a lot of talent and I won't be surprised if he's one of the next great writers considering he's already been signed. If you haven't watched the short film already it's on YouTube under the channel "Wesley Wang", and I hope it brings you the emotions that filled me when I watched it. Wang also has other short films if you also want to check those out.

Can't wait to see what Wang has in store for his future if he started a career like this.

The consensus on Nothing Except Everything -- stylized as nothing, except everything. -- seems to be that it lets us know what to expect as the younger Zoomers are getting old enough to make movies. Esther On Film wrote that it's basically Everything Everywhere All At Once meets Don Hertzfeldt, adding that "the kids who are growing up watching Family Guy clips over Subway Surfers gameplay on TikTok are going to make so much insipid tripe that looks exactly like this".

Similarly scathing was Jeff Zhang, causing several blowhards on Twitter to try to point out how mean movie critics are; alas, those days of discourse only served to show us how mean they AREN'T, especially compared to the heyday of Pauline Kael.

But why are people so angry at those who roast this short? Well, because it's actually a student film. Sort of. It's a student film with a professional cast, numerous executive producer credits, professional-looking cameras, and other things that only happen when you already have industry connections, hence Zhang's opening line: "Wesley Wang's nothing, except everything. Is the antithesis of all the janky pleasures of amateur filmmaking." (In other words, he is decidedly not beating up on some kid; he's treating this very much professional production the way a critic treats professional productions.)

This means we also get a fairly privileged assessment of the Zoomer human (Zooman?) condition. Regardless, experience tells me you don't need to be an especially privileged or out-of-touch Zoomer to think EEAAO was the be-all-end-all of absurdist profundity or that briefly referencing climate change, Jung, or whatever makes you look thoughtful, so I'm sure we'll be getting more Gen-Z flicks like it.

I guess I prefer something like this to Are You Lost in the World Like Me?, that animated short film that critiques the smartphone era with all the depth of a Minion meme shared by your aunt (who also occasionally reposts the film with the caption "LIKE if u get it"). Wang's movie is more about the Zoomer experience than a critique of Society™.

Sadly, it doesn't explore this admittedly fascinating generation (born into a world of chaos, their best years snatched by lockdowns; a generation that's more sincere in their art compared to Millennials' self-conscious irony, yet also deathly afraid of sex scenes because all they've known during their youth is MCU movies) in any especially interesting ways. In some ways, however, the film's resonance may transcend Zoomers -- I, a curmudgeonly Millennial, definitely remember having rich friends in high school who could have made something like this for graduation if they so wished and think themselves "deep" for it (instead they dropped out to become bloggers).

I cant believe how relatable such a short film can be, I've watched this over 5 times fully already as its so thought provoking.

It really places a perspective on the watchers mind and makes them dive into their own train of thought within the last 2 minutes.

The quotes are a perfect way to break up each chapter of the film and force the viewer to find a relation between the quotes and the actions.

The subtle references through the film really portray the film as a personal reflection not just of the creator but of anyone who finds it relatable.

Lastly, If I was forced to use one word to describe it I would, but the only word I could possibly use is "art" and even then that's an understatement.

Nothing, Except Everything is a breathtaking cinematic masterpiece that defies conventional storytelling and invites the viewer into a realm of pure artistry and profound introspection. The film, a stunning fusion of visual poetry and narrative abstraction, takes you on a transformative journey that feels at once deeply personal and universally resonant.

From the first frame to the last, the film captivates with its minimalist approach, drawing on silence and subtlety to evoke a wide range of emotions. The cinematography is nothing short of exquisite, each shot carefully composed to maximize impact with an almost meditative attention to detail. Every visual element-light, shadow, color, texture-feels deliberate and imbued with meaning, creating an atmosphere of reflection and wonder.