How do you know when you’ve found true love? How do you know if you have a soulmate, or if such a thing even exists? These are the big questions that have stumped people for generations. They’ve also provided plenty of fodder for films and movies over the years. That’s certainly the case with All of You, a new film for Apple TV+ that streams on Friday, Sept. 26.
The film focuses on Simon (Brett Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots). They’ve been friends since university and remain close. But could their bond be more than friendship? In the early going, it’s clear they have a close connection. But they haven’t taken it beyond that. They live in the near future, and a test has been developed to help you find your soulmate.
The test has caught fire and led to millions of connections. Simon is a skeptic, but Laura wants to take the test. So, at the outset, Simon helps pay for it despite his skepticism. As a result, Laura is paired with Lukas (Steven Cree). It isn’t long before their relationship takes root.
Simon, meanwhile, is fixed up with Andrea (Zawe Ashton). They seem to have plenty in common and hit it off. A relationship blooms for them as well. And yet, as Simon and Laura remain in each other’s lives, they can’t help but wonder what if.
A familiar premise in All of You
If the root idea for this test sounds familiar, it’s because this isn’t the first time something like this has come up. A Black Mirror episode, “Hang the DJ,” touched on something similar. The TV series The Good Place also presented the idea of being paired with an “ideal” soulmate in the afterlife. But this also was literally the premise for the AMC anthology series Soulmates, which debuted in 2020 and focused each episode on a new pairing of those who took the test.
This film was written by director William Bridges, for whom it was a passion project, and Goldstein. This feels different than previous shows that have touched on the idea. It has a sense of humor and a sense of destiny that makes it feel more like a traditional romance film—where the protagonists seem to land with the wrong people despite their attraction—than some futuristic tale of pre-determined love.
In an age where dating apps and sites that use algorithms are all the rage, this feels like an interesting exploration. So many people are searching for The One, when they might be missing something that’s already in their lives. That’s a part of the fun and also the frustration of this premise and film.
Solid performances
What does work in All of You is Goldstein and Poots. They have some undeniable chemistry and play off one another well. That certainly helps sell the story of their friendship and their will-they-or-won’t-they romance. The film is at its best when they’re together.
But what lets them down is the construction of the story. The film runs just 98 minutes, which makes it a tight package. But the story takes place over years. That means that it frequently jumps forward in time, often without much explanation, leaving the audience to piece together what’s happening through dialogue and contextual clues. Sometimes that takes you out of the narrative and is an impediment to enjoying the back-and-forth with Laura and Simon.
Also abrupt is the ending. There are plenty of tough questions to be asked, but the film leaves our two lovers in a precarious state as the credits role. And open-ended finish can work, especially in romances of this sort, but it doesn’t quite come together for me here.
I like the premise of All of You and I enjoy the performances. There is something decent here, and the film makes for an easy watch. But I ultimately left a bit unsatisfied, and my guess is that most viewers will feel similar.
All of You streams on Apple TV+ beginning Friday, Sept. 26. It’s also in limited release in theaters.
Get the latest movie reviews and news from FlickSided.