Indie Web Series: The Romantic Metaphor Of ‘Everything Before Us’
With 3.25 million YouTube subscribers, Wong Fu Productions has established itself as a formidable internet presence. Since its founding almost two decades earlier in 2004, the media company has had nothing but steady growth, increasing the scope and the variety of projects to take on. In 2015, Wong Fu Productions released its first-ever feature film, Everything Before Us. A little over half a decade later, this film would become available on Wong Fu Productions’ official YouTube channel as a five-part web series. At first glance, this movie appears to be what one would expect from a relationship drama. However, upon closer examination, it serves a deeper purpose.
Everything Before Us is directed by Wesley Chan and Philip Wang and stars Randall Park (Fresh off the Boat), Aaron Yoo (21), and Ki Hong Lee (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). The film primarily follows the intricate relationships of two couples: Ben and Sarah, who represent the archetype of the second-chance exes, as well as Seth and Hayley, a high school couple on the precipice of experiencing life after high school. Now, these may seem like arbitrary romantic tropes, but there is a catch. This film operates in a world where all romantic relationships are evaluated by a government entity known as the Department of Emotional Integrity. Every citizen who registers is given an “emotional integrity score” based on the ebb and flow of their relationship status. This score operates similarly to a credit score. The rating of your emotional integrity often plays a direct role in how much access to resources you are or aren’t granted, and what privileges you are or aren’t eligible to receive. Even eating establishments make use of these scores to determine who gets to dine within their walls.
The most interesting thing about the science fiction element of this relationship drama is how close to reality it seems to be. A large part of the culture that exists within any society is the social evaluation of relationships and the social pressure that comes with engaging in a romance. Any person who enters a romantic relationship will also be tasked with navigating the social gaze from their family, their peers, and even their government in other circumstances. By assigning a number to this usually nebulous emotional consequence, Everything Before Us enhances the stakes that these characters experience. The couples know that any impulsive romantic action that complicates the dynamic of their relationship will have an uncomplicated and often harsh consequence. The couples that don’t know this, are quickly made aware.
The characterization of the Department of Emotional Integrity as an institution emphasizes this harshness. Their offices are mostly blue and white spaces. It is a blank, corporate environment where there is no art on the walls and not even a fake plant is in sight. This cinematic image directly contrasts with the vibrant, colorful locations the couples experience life in, as well as the lively and compelling performances from the cast. With every conversation, the added weight of the “effect on my score” invites the audience to challenge the idea that the quality of a human being can be calculated by the status of their relationship because the outside expectations in themselves can be the cause of romantic erosion.
I highly recommend Everything Before Us. It wonderfully balances the simplicity of a relationship drama with the introspective nature of science fiction. For audiences who want a simple, easy to comprehend romantic drama, the film hits all of those notes. For audiences who desire intellectual depth and a reflection on the spectating of romance by society at large, there is plenty to dissect.
