Plot: Best friends since college, Simon and Laura drift apart when she takes a test that finds her soulmate despite years of unspoken feelings between them. Over the years, as their paths cross and diverge, neither can deny the feeling that they’ve missed out on a life together. Faced with the uncertainty of changing the course of their lives, are Simon and Laura willing to risk everything to experience the love that had been between them all along, or should they accept their fate?
Review: Romantic films often get a bad wrap for being schmaltzy, cliche, or bogged down with unnecessary formulaic constraints. The best romantic movies are usually connected to specific genres like noir or comedy. Still, the increasing number of movies incorporating science fiction into their love stories has allowed for more unique takes on storytelling. All of You blends science fiction into its story in a way that is just enough to allow the narrative to exist without relying on robots, rayguns, or anything supernatural. It also helps that director William Bridges is a veteran writer on Black Mirror, the anthology series synonymous with taking genre concepts and telling powerful stories. Led by Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots, All of You is an emotionally devastating movie about true love and the barriers that keep it from being a reality.
The science fiction elements of All of You are limited to the concept of a test that can confirm with one hundred percent certainty who your soulmate is. With millions having taken the test and found their true love, All of You opens on best friends Simon (Brett Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots) as they head to Laura’s appointment for her soulmate test. Immediately, the chemistry jumps off the screen as Goldstein and Poots connect with Simon and Laura with easy banter and an unspoken bond, cementing their connection. Simon is clearly in love with Laura, and Laura, in return, has strong but non-romantic feelings for Simon. The way the pair talks about love shows that Simon has no interest in a test telling him who his soulmate is, since he feels deeply that he already knows. Over the course of just about ten minutes, the center of All of You is set.
The next ninety minutes of the film are comprised of vignettes picking up on key moments between Simon and Laura across the years, spanning over a decade. Simon enjoys a long-term relationship with Andrea (Zawe Ashton) while Laura marries Lukas (Steven Cree) and has a daughter, all the while the two friends remain close. As major milestones occur, Simon is always there for Laura, even though they may have extended periods away from each other. All of You frames their interactions with slight indications of the passage of time, most easily identified by the length of Brett Goldstein’s facial hair. The ups and downs in their lives eventually lead Simon and Laura to realize their feelings for each other, which come with baggage and repercussions for their lives. All of You chronicles the decisions and implications of what it means for two people to be deeply in love, even though they have made commitments in other parts of their lives. The film never makes it easy on either Simon or Laura, but also never avoids the emotional toll their choices have on themselves and each other.
Apple TV+ saw the release of the film Fingernails two years ago, another romantic drama centered on a test that could confirm whether the person you were with was your soulmate. Still, that film leaned more heavily into the possibility of the test being wrong. All of You instead uses the test concept as a jumping-off point to examine the connection between Simon and Laura over the years while never shying away from the realistic parts of love. The film is hilarious, something that comes naturally to Brett Goldstein, who has been key on screen and as a writer for acclaimed Apple series Ted Lasso and Shrinking. Goldstein is an incredibly charismatic lead, and his presence opposite Imogen Poots comes through every scene they share. The supporting cast, including a brief appearance from Jenna Coleman, shows that both Goldstein and Poots are talented actors who work well with all their scene partners. Still, when the two are on screen together, it is hard not to believe these characters are meant to be together. That depth of emotion makes the most challenging moments in this story hit home, leaving you knowing that love can knock you down just as much as it can lift you up.
The feature directorial debut from William Bridges, All of You, was written by Bridges alongside Brett Goldstein. The pair based the film on their 2013 short, For Life, which Bridges directed and Goldstein wrote. Bridges has since written episodes of Stranger Things and created the series Soulmates. In addition, Bridges co-wrote the acclaimed Black Mirror episode “USS Callister,” and it is that series that inspires All of You. By taking a small science fiction concept and building a realistic drama around it, Bridges and Goldstein have crafted a deeply personal and impactful human drama that hits every emotional note, positively and negatively. It is hard to imagine how this story would have worked without the key sci-fi conceit, but you forget that it even exists due to how engrossing the performances are from Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots. The film hinges on believing these two people are inextricably connected and would not have worked without the believable obstacles the characters face and how they react to them.
It is easy to discount romantic dramas as nothing more than The Notebook or similar fare. Still, when a dramatic film can deliver a believable love story that is sweeping, inspirational, gutwrenching, and beautiful, you are hard-pressed to find anything better. All of You is a fantastic movie that will appeal to anyone who has ever felt unrequited love or wondered if that special someone felt the same way about them. Even if you despise romantic movies, you should give this movie a shot to see how good two actors can be when they have that spark between them. Brett Goldstein continues to prove he is a double threat as an actor and writer who can do comedy and drama in equal measure. This is a movie that will wreck you in the best way possible.
All of You premieres on September 26th on Apple TV+.
Source:
JoBlo.com
