At the turn of the millennium, Silicon Valley was forging a new kind of American folklore, a mythology built around garages and the titans who emerged from them. This was a world where technological innovation was presented as a path to secular salvation, and its high priests were figures like Steve Jobs. Kayci Lacob’s Everything to Me situates its story directly within this potent cultural moment.
The film introduces us to Claudia, a young girl whose entire adolescence is filtered through an intense, almost religious devotion to the Apple co-founder. Her story becomes a specific character study on the modern search for identity, examining how the curated biography of a public figure can become a blueprint for a life, especially when one’s personal world is fractured by instability.
The narrative follows Claudia’s development from her middle school years into her early twenties. Her personal growth, or lack thereof, runs on a parallel track to the ascendance of Apple’s product line, from the iMac to the iPhone. This structure creates a sincere and reflective portrait of a girl shaped by a powerful regional mythos that has since been exported and sold to the entire globe.
The Gospel of Jobs
Claudia’s fixation on Steve Jobs is not mere admiration; it functions as a complete ideology, a gospel she consults to navigate every challenge. Her personal mantra, “What Would Steve Jobs Do?”, is applied to everything from school assignments to the awkwardness of her first period, revealing a desperate search for a logical system to manage life’s organic messiness.
Her hero worship is so profound that she refers to him as a “messiah,” a framing device that underscores the film’s critique of the cult of personality. This rigid belief system offers a compelling substitute for the order missing from her domestic life following her parents’ divorce. The film proposes that the clean, intuitive design of Apple products reflects the very certainty she craves. Lacob reinforces this visually, as the frame is consistently populated with period-accurate iMacs and early iPods.
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These objects are not just background details; they are icons of the simplified, elegant world Claudia wishes to inhabit, a stark contrast to the emotional chaos of her home. This single-minded ambition, however, isolates her. Her quest to innovate at all costs creates a rift between her and her best friend, Lucy, and renders her abrasive to those who cannot understand her devotion. Her story becomes a critique of the “think different” ethos when it calcifies into dogma, questioning the global culture of founder-worship that elevates singular figures to the status of prophets.
A Life Interrupted
The film finds its emotional weight in the messy, uncontrollable events that disrupt Claudia’s curated life plan. These are the analog problems that cannot be solved with a sleek interface or a new operating system. The narrative authentically portrays her family’s difficult dynamics, particularly the painful reality of her mother’s cancer diagnosis. Judy Greer’s performance as the mother provides a raw, grounded counterpoint to Claudia’s detached ambition, giving the film its human core.
This complex mother-daughter relationship is contrasted with her resentment for her father, a tech engineer whose own professional drive she fails to see mirrored in her own obsessive pursuits. The film also traces the slow erosion of her friendship with Lucy. Their childhood promises, made with absolute sincerity, are tested and broken by the reality of their diverging paths, showing how an all-consuming ambition can sever foundational bonds.
These personal stories are grounded by subtle historical markers, like the family’s muted reaction to news coverage of 9/11. The event is not a plot point; it is an intrusion from the chaotic outside world that momentarily halts her personal obsessions. The film’s strength is its ability to capture these un-foreshadowed moments of life that defy simple, elegant solutions, presenting a powerful rebuttal to the controlled world Claudia seeks to build.
An Imperfect Operating System
As a debut feature, Kayci Lacob’s work is filled with a heartfelt quality that stems from its semi-autobiographical origins. The film rests on the strength of its performers. Abigail Donaghy carries a significant portion of the story as the teenage Claudia, effectively capturing her awkward intensity and intellectual rigidity.
The casting of multiple actresses for the same role across time is handled well, with sisters Eliza and Abigail Donaghy creating a believable continuity. Judy Greer, however, delivers the film’s standout performance, bringing a powerful and moving vulnerability to her limited screen time. Utkarsh Ambudkar is also a warm presence as a supportive teacher who tries to see the person behind the ambition. The film’s chapter-like structure creates an episodic rhythm that can feel scattered.
While this choice may reflect the fragmented nature of memory in a digital age, it occasionally rushes past major events, like off-screen deaths, lessening their narrative impact. Still, the technical craft is sound, with Shasta Spahn’s cinematography capturing the period with a soft, nostalgic light. Though its narrative structure has flaws, Everything to Me succeeds as an emotional and thought-provoking look at loss, ambition, and the challenge of writing your own code when you are born into the shadow of a giant.
“Everything to Me” is a coming-of-age comedy-drama set in the early 2000s Silicon Valley. The film was released in select theaters on September 5, 2025. It is available to rent or purchase on various platforms such as Amazon and Vimeo, and can be streamed for free on Tubi and Fandor.
Full Credits
Director: Kayci Lacob
Writers: Kayci Lacob, Judy Greer, Utkarsh Ambudkar
Producers and Executive Producers: Randy Wayne, Talia Bella, Matthew Shreder, Sara E. White, Kayci Lacob, Tom Nunan
Cast: Victoria Pedretti, Lola Flanery, Isaac Arellanes, Judy Greer, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rich Sommer, Gavin Lewis, Jobie James, Chandler Ryan, Abigail Donaghy, Lisa Fenimore, Ginger Gilmartin, Eliza Donaghy, Luke Gauthier, Becca Worthington, Priyanka Kedia, Lena Harmon, Ella Gibson, Ryan Music
Director of Photography (Cinematographer): Shasta Spahn
Composer: Stephanie Economou
The Review
Everything to Me
Everything to Me is a heartfelt and intelligent debut, anchored by an original premise and a pair of excellent performances from Abigail Donaghy and Judy Greer. It successfully critiques the modern myths of Silicon Valley and the dangers of substituting a public figure’s life for one’s own. While its emotional core is strong, the film’s scattered, episodic structure keeps it from greatness, often rushing past key moments. It is a thoughtful character study whose structural flaws soften the impact of its otherwise powerful story.
PROS
- A distinct and specific central premise.
- Outstanding performances from Judy Greer and Abigail Donaghy.
- Authentic portrayal of family drama and emotional turmoil.
- A thoughtful critique of hero worship and tech culture.
CONS
- Episodic structure feels scattered and choppy.
- Rushes through significant plot points, reducing their weight.
- Some supporting characters feel underdeveloped.
- The protagonist’s single-mindedness can be alienating.
