Everything to Me explores the complexities of growing up in Silicon Valley through the eyes of a young woman who idolizes Steve Jobs. The story is a fascinating character study of a girl who struggles to define herself beyond following in her idol’s footsteps. It’s unique, and at times dark, but also insightful and thought-provoking.

Claudia moved to Silicon Valley as a child, and from that moment her life became intrinsically tied to the late Steve Jobs, one of the most prolific and influential figures in the tech industry. However, Claudia’s obsession goes beyond admiration and inspiration, as throughout her formative years, she loses focus of who she is.

Everything To Me Is A Fascinating Coming-Of-Age Story

The film focuses on three distinct points in Claudia’s life. As a pre-teen, she went to middle school and formed connections outside her home. As a teenager, she worked hard to get into Stanford, and, as an adult, reflected more deeply on her youth and wrote a novel about those formative years.

For each period, a different actress tackles the role, with Victoria Pedretti cast as the adult version of the character, and occasionally providing narration. For the bulk of the film, though, it is actually a novice actor, Abigail Donaghy, who is in the role of Claudia. Pedretti’s experience adds weight to her brief moments throughout the piece, while Donaghy delivers a convincing performance as an awkward and ill-adjusted young woman.

Everything to Me is unlike most other coming-of-age stories, primarily due to the central character’s belief that they are not having an idenтιтy crisis. While most stories in this category embrace that idea head-on, as the protagonist seeks to define herself, Claudia is laser-focused on one definition and unable to see the impossibility of it. Claudia doesn’t want to be the next Steve Jobs, she wants to be Steve Jobs.

Everything To Me Explores A Challenging Upbringing Through An Imperfect Lens

Ultimately, Claudia is an unreliable narrator. With her home life falling apart, she looks to external means to try and make sense of her world and her idenтιтy. But the lines become blurred, and she struggles to make sense of anything apart from the extremely logical and affirmative mantras of Apple and its founder. The result is a deeply introspective narrative that reveals Claudia’s fractured psyche throughout the film.

While the acting has some room for improvement, the visuals and the story’s pacing more than make up for any minor missteps. Everything to Me is original, creative, and extremely effective at delivering its core message. This is all the more impressive because it’s writer-director Kayci Lacob’s directorial debut.

Everything to Me is a heartfelt and emotional exploration of growing up. It shines a light on a fractured home and the effect that it can have on a young woman. But it also depicts, to some extent, the separation and growth that is required to overcome this and the attachment of one’s idenтιтy to someone else. Lacob’s vision and skill is on full display and it makes for a stunning directorial debut.