All of You tests the boundary between soulmate and best friend

All of You streams on Apple TV+ Friday, and Brett Goldstein's new film asks a provocative question: what if your soulmate and your best friend are different people? The rom-com-dram follows Simon, played by Goldstein, and Laura, portrayed by Imogen Poots, as they navigate a world in which a soulmate test can decide who you should love. Goldstein says the premise is meant to break viewers' hearts and prompt reflection on love and loyalty. He developed the idea with William Bridges, an Emmy winner for Black Mirror who co-wrote and directed the film; at the time Goldstein was single and Bridges was not, a fact that spurred their discussion about whether a soulmate test could remove guesswork, bad dates and lost time from romance.

The story unfolds linearly but leaps forward through months and years as Laura and Simon reckon with the test; Laura undergoes the test and begins planning with a husband-to-be, while Simon tries the old-fashioned route and grapples with the consequences of choices that feel true yet destabilizing. The film blends science-fiction texture with character-driven drama, avoiding a dystopian vibe. Laura's eventual soulmate is portrayed by Steven Cree, a handsome Scottish actor, designed to be a credible, empathetic rival rather than a one-note obstacle. Bridges and Goldstein deliberately stack the odds to reflect real life where two appealing options complicate the decision.

Imogen Poots describes her experience as conflicted yet compassionate toward the characters, emphasizing that feelings and love can be uncontrollable and that one cannot vilify someone for having them; the film follows the consequences when those feelings are acted upon. The performances ride a steady rhythm and the narrative passes through months and years to show the evolving state of the relationship.

Bridges notes that the film's influences include romantic-comedy classics and emotionally resonant drama; the idea of straight male-female friendship becoming clearer only after the fact echoes When Harry Met Sally, while the cottage setting echoes Atonement. The East Sussex cottage provides a pivotal Laura-Simon scene that fans may recognize from Joe Wright's film. Bridges says audiences today crave love stories that are honest about complexity rather than idealized endings.

Goldstein and Bridges say their aim is to present love stories rather than straightforward romance, inviting viewers to weigh desire, loyalty and different potential futures. The filmmakers want to show how people wrestle with decisions rather than stage a tidy finale; their project fits into a broader trend of tone-setting, genre-blending romance that includes other contemporary titles like Materialists and Splitsville.

As All of You debuts on Apple TV+ Friday, critics and fans will see whether the film's central test resonates in a cultural moment that values nuanced depictions of love. The collaboration between Goldstein, Bridges and a talented cast seeks to deliver both warmth and wit while addressing relationships that are as messy as they are meaningful.