“All of You” takes place in the future. The cars aren’t different, and neither are the clothes. But there’s a new company on the block called Soul Connex, which claims to have discovered a scientifically based formula for finding your soulmate. Judging by the billboards on the side of every building, Soul Connex has reached McDonald’s level of brand awareness. All you have to do is pay the money to take their special test. The test hooks you up with your no-doubt-about-it soulmate. At the start of “All of You,” the omnipresence of Soul Connex is a given. It’s weird if you haven’t taken the Soul Connex test.
Directed by William Bridges and co-written by Bridges and Brett Goldstein (who also co-stars), the film explores its concept in a decidedly non-high-concept way through the shared journey of Simon (Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots), great platonic pals since college. (Instagram sensation Delaney Rowe does a series of sketches skewering various rom-com tropes, including platonic male-female friendships in such films, and she’s almost ruined this kind of material for me.) Laura decides it’s time to take the Soul Connex test. Simon comes with her to the appointment as support, even though it’s clear the two are in a mutual state of unspoken romantic yearning. Nobody’s in a “friend zone”. Simoon and Laura have decided to ignore the obvious.
The test pairs Laura up with Lukas (Steven Cree), a man she’s never seen before. She doesn’t feel a spark with Lukas, but he is a kind man, and Laura trusts Soul Connex. Laura introduces Simon to her friend Andrea (Zawe Ashton), and a fairly serious relationship develops. The two couples even double date, although it gets difficult to find the time once Laura has a baby.
The script’s handling of time is untraditional. The narrative jumps forward over months, sometimes years, without title cards announcing “two months later” to orient us. We are trusted to connect the dots. Laura and Lukas stay together, but Simon can’t find anything lasting. Laura keeps urging him to “take the test,” but he refuses. Soul Connex has co-opted the human individual’s sense of agency in making romantic choices. Simon’s a holdout. Besides, it’s so obvious he’s in love with Laura. Anyone else pales in comparison. “All of You” is made up of long glances and potent pauses, tenderness and unspoken thoughts. There’s also a lot of passion as the film swings into “Same Time Next Year” territory.
Goldstein and Poots’ chemistry is authentic, and without it the film wouldn’t and couldn’t work. “All of You” is sparsely populated. Simon and Laura exist in a world of their own, where spouses, even a daughter, don’t intrude. We don’t see them at work, we don’t see Laura at home with Lucas, we don’t see them with their parents or friends. Simon and Laura’s relationship is the only game in town.
There’s an almost rote repetition to all of this, a monotony underlined by the unexpected time jumps. The film feels a little long. The same point is made over and over again. However, the strange rote quality to life as it is lived in the film worked in unusual ways. If emotions are a little bit flattened by the comfort of finding a soulmate, of eliminating the yearning of a search, then much else is lost too: freshness, excitement, hysterical laughter, and even tears. Once Soul Connex hooks up Laura and Lukas, they are all “set.” The world thinks they are set; they think they are set. Passion is great, but stability and safety are nothing to dismiss. But herein is the lie. Relationships are not safe. Any time people open their hearts, there’s a risk of being hurt. In that risk is joy and connection. Remove the risk and you lose possibility.
The concept of soulmates has been a bête noire of mine for years. It all started with Richard Bach. After writing a best-seller about a self-aware seagull, Bach made millions immortalizing the relationship with his soulmate in a series of hugely successful books (Bridge Across Forever, One, and Running from Safety). Bach and his soulmate eventually split up. His fans felt betrayed. If you “don’t believe” in soulmates, you’re treated like a party pooper. As someone who has written quite a bit about soulmates and Richard Bach, the concept of Soul Connex was intriguing because the company takes the Bachian mystique out of soulmates. Laura and Lukas are soulmates, but there’s no mystique. Safety can be a trap. Maybe “running from safety” is the wise choice, although it’s a difficult path.
“All of You” sounds a little corny. It’s not. It’s a serious romantic drama, featuring two adult characters who don’t always behave well, who betray themselves and others, who sometimes don’t know what they want or need. They both reach towards something precious, which the corporate entity known as Soul Connex wants to obliterate: Organic connection and all the uncontrollable feelings that come with it.
