I had the pleasure of viewing Everything Before Us for the second time in this class, having seen it over the summer with friends. Though my feelings for the movie weren't as strong (it's hard to really be involved in a romance-drama when you know what's coming), I still definitely enjoyed the movie even on the second watch.
What we discussed in class, and what I find is an incredibly interesting question, is why Asian-Americans were casted for all four lead roles and what effect this has on the viewer. For me, personally, I felt that this was a commentary, even a push back against the Asian "robot" stereotype that is frequently explored. Rather than one-dimensional robots that simply pump emotionless work out, as Asians are frequently portrayed in other media, Everything Before Us attempts to paint Asians in the exact opposite light--as overly emotional (saccharine, as Mr. Khactu says) creatures. To complete the role reversal, the white characters are the robots in this story (ha, get it, Robot Stories). Henry, Ben's best friend, is the one obsessed with maintaining a high EI score and seems to view everything through the lens of how it will affect one's EI score.
My response to the second part of the question is that it forces the viewer to rethink things. Oftentimes, especially in the movie industry, where racial stereotypes run amuck, it's easy just to see characters and pigeonhole them into their respective roles. By breaking these molds, Everything Before Us gets the viewer to do a double take and really focus in on the details of the movie.
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