“All of You,” a box office title opening in Toronto on September 7, includes a test that many viewers may avoid.
The story takes place in the near future, where scientists have developed a way to determine a person's true soulmate – if the person is willing to take the test. An unexpected answer comes between Simon (Brett Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots), and their encounters over the years as Laura discovers who her ideal partner really is (hint: it's not Simon, whom she loves against her will) take on increasingly painful intensity.
“We wanted to tell a story of a relationship,” says the film’s director, William Bridges, who co-wrote it with Goldstein. “And we found that changing one thing in our world allowed us to reveal people’s perception of what true love is, and that was a very rich field for a love story.”
Bridges, an Emmy winner for “Black Mirror” (his two episodes include the fan favorite “USS Callister”), originally produced “All of You” with Goldstein as a short film after the idea struck him while discussing their mutual relationships. “At the time, we didn’t have funding for anything,” Bridges says. “We wrote the movie ourselves, to get to the end and see if it would make it into a movie.”
There was—and in the years between, both men have seen their careers improve (Goldstein has now won two Emmys for his role in “Ted Lasso,” and co-created the Apple TV+ comedy “Shrinking”). “I could cry,” Goldstein says. “It’s like my baby, this is what we’ve dreamed of doing for 10 years. I rarely say that—I’m really proud of it.”
What sets the film apart is its tendency to jump ahead in its story without on-screen titles to indicate how much time has passed; viewers have to use context to work out where Simon and Laura are and what they mean to each other at each new milestone, moments that tend to be deeply meaningful to both of them. “It helps give the story a pace,” says Potts. “There’s something interesting about seeing the high-drama moments—the moments where it feels more stylized.”
“The fun is seeing how the actors relate to each other,” Bridges says. “But for the actors, it’s a huge effort — it spans 15 or 20 years.”
“Our schedule was based on the length of my beard,” Goldstein says with a laugh. “We started with a big beard, then shaved it off a little bit—the hardest part was keeping the beard going.”
Maintaining chronology while shooting out of sequence was a challenge – but the film was powered by team spirit. “It was very fast-paced,” says Potts, known for his roles in films such as “French Exit” and “The Father.” “But the beauty of this job is sometimes it’s an incredible guerrilla war – shooting around the streets of London at rush hour. But that’s the thrill.”
“All of You” tells an intimate story influenced by technology, but Bridges is quick to clarify that it’s not science fiction: “We just want to tell this particular love story, and just address how the world has been changed by technology.” [the characters’] “The shift in culture and technology is a catalyst; Simon and Laura – and whoever is in between – are the stars.
Potts compares the film to the ’70s and ’80s films she’s revisited all her life, like “Heartburn” and “Falling in Love.” “It taught me who I am and what’s important in life,” she says. “I hope this movie has meaning for people.” (She jokes, “I hope it doesn’t break up marriages!”)
Goldstein, who is best known for his television work, wants the film to be shown on the biggest screen possible after its Toronto premiere. “I hope the film will be shown in theaters as widely as possible,” he says. “I’m a movie buff, and I want the film to be shown in theaters so people can laugh and cry together.”
