How does this 2022 comedy explore the concept of the ‘multi-verse’; the idea that there is an infinity of parallel universes each one of which is equally real or actual to those that inhabit it? What psychological and moral effects do the main characters undergo as a result of being able to “verse-jump” into the lives of their ‘twin selves’ in parallel universes? Why does Joy’s parallel universe twin “Jobu Tupaki” become depressed and nihilistic after having developed the ability to experience the lives of her ‘twins’ in all universes at the same? What prevents Evelyn, Joy's mother, from following her in in that nihilistic direction, even though she does flirt with it for a time? How does the love or care instantiated by Waymond, her husband, help her make this choice? How does this film flesh out the philosophical concept of ‘modal realism’? How do its comedic elements illustrate the absurdities that would be the case if the multi-verse is in fact constituted of a set of universes that, between them, instantiate all logically possible states of affairs? On the moral plane, how does the film instantiate the common ‘grass is always greener on the other side’ feeling we all have about our lives, and what does it tell us about the proper response to this feeling? Does the film intentionally reflect the ADHD of one of its producers?

Broadcast on:

01 Feb 2023