Quick Read
- Brett Goldstein stars in and co-writes ‘All of You’, streaming on Apple TV+.
- The film explores whether soulmates and best friends can be different people.
- Imogen Poots and Steven Cree co-star, with William Bridges directing.
- A fictional soulmate test drives the narrative, blending sci-fi and drama.
- The story skips through years, focusing on the messy reality of relationships.
Challenging the Classic Romance: Brett Goldstein’s New Film
Brett Goldstein, known for his razor-sharp wit and raw emotional honesty, is no stranger to shaking up the conventions of storytelling. In his new film, ‘All of You’, streaming on Apple TV+, Goldstein teams up with William Bridges (Emmy-winning writer of Black Mirror) to pose a question that isn’t just provocative—it’s deeply personal: What if your soulmate isn’t your best friend?
The premise alone is enough to unsettle any audience member who has ever felt a tug-of-war between friendship and romance. Goldstein himself admits, “I think everyone has this friendship. There’s someone in their life that is not their partner that they have a connection that feels more than friends, but what is that?”
Testing the Boundaries: The Soulmate Dilemma
At the heart of ‘All of You’ are Simon (played by Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots), university friends whose bond is as deep as it is complicated. The film introduces a science fiction twist: a test that can identify your soulmate, cutting through the confusion and bad dates that plague modern relationships.
Laura decides to take the test, with Simon by her side—he even pays for it. The test results send her on a new trajectory: planning a future with the man the test identifies as her soulmate. Simon, meanwhile, clings to the old-fashioned way, navigating the emotional labyrinth without technological shortcuts. The story unfolds over months and years, eschewing melodrama for a nuanced, linear narrative that skips through the evolving saga of Laura and Simon.
Messy Choices, Real Consequences
Imogen Poots, who brings Laura’s conflicted heart to life, reflected on the film’s complexity: “All a person is the choices they make or don’t make, and I think that feelings and desire and love, these are completely out of your control.” Indeed, the film refuses to vilify any character for having feelings; it’s the choices that complicate everything.
Goldstein and Bridges were determined to avoid romantic comedy clichés. Laura’s soulmate and eventual husband isn’t an easy-to-dismiss antagonist. Instead, he’s kind, loving, and a devoted father—played by Scottish actor Steven Cree. Goldstein explains, “One thing we didn’t want to do… is make the other guy boring or a jerk. You have to kind of stack the odds against all of them because that is more real and it’s much more challenging.”
This approach forces audiences into a genuine emotional quandary: rooting for one outcome while dreading its consequences. It’s a tension that lingers long after the credits roll.
From ‘When Harry Met Sally’ to ‘Atonement’: Subtle Touchstones
In crafting ‘All of You’, Goldstein and Bridges found themselves inadvertently channeling classic films. When Harry Met Sally became a touchstone for exploring friendships between straight men and women, though only in hindsight. Even more serendipitous was the use of the same English Channel cottage featured in Atonement for a pivotal scene between Laura and Simon—a nod to cinematic heartbreak, discovered only after filming was complete.
Yet, ‘All of You’ is less a tribute and more a reflection on the state of relationships today. Bridges observes, “We have seen the movie where somebody runs to the train station at the end and confesses undying love… But I’m not quite sure that that’s the experience of love that a lot of people have. I think they’re looking for love stories rather than romance stories.”
The Modern Love Story: Beyond Happily Ever After
For all its sci-fi undertones, ‘All of You’ is grounded in the messy, unpredictable reality of human connection. The film belongs to a growing wave of genre-bending stories—like Materialists and Splitsville—that push past the glossy veneer of classic romantic comedies. Instead, they grapple with the real, sometimes uncomfortable questions: Does technology make love easier, or more complicated? Can you truly separate friendship from romance? And what does it mean to choose one over the other?
The film doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it invites audiences to reflect on their own lives—the friendships that defy categorization, the loves that linger in the background, the choices that shape who we become.
Goldstein’s willingness to confront heartbreak, to allow for “a proper ugly cry,” is what makes ‘All of You’ so compelling. It’s not just about finding a soulmate; it’s about recognizing the tangled web of relationships that make us human.
As audiences stream the film, many will see themselves in Simon, Laura, or even Laura’s husband. The film’s power lies in its universality: the recognition that love is rarely simple, and that sometimes, the hardest choices are the most honest ones.
Citations: AP News, Reuters
Goldstein’s ‘All of You’ signals a turning point in contemporary cinema—a move away from fantasy, towards the authentic complexities of love and friendship. By refusing to demonize or idealize, the film challenges viewers to confront the true nature of connection in the modern age.