Director Will Bridges On Breathing Life Into His and Brett Goldstein's Sci-Fi Soulmate Story
‘All Of You’ is the feature directorial debut of Will Bridges. It stars Brett Goldstein (who also co-wrote the film) and Imogen Poots as Simon and Laura, two best friends whose relationship begins unraveling after one of them takes a test to find out who their true soulmate is.
As much as it sounds like a great premise for a Black Mirror episode - and despite Bridges’ previous work on the series - the idea dates back to the very beginning of his career. Speaking with FilmSpeak’s Dempsey Pillot, Bridges explained the story’s origin.
The director says that he and Goldstein had already known each other, and began working on a project together, when one day “We were just talking about relationships. We were in very different places. I was in a long-term relationship. He wasn't, and he was like, how do you know she's the one?”
He recalled telling Goldstein he had no idea if his current relationship would work out. That’s when Goldstein asked him, “What if you could take a test and find out?” The two became so obsessed with the idea that over the next two weeks they ironed out a short film script. A little while after that, they were on the street filming it. After the completion of the short film, the two would embark on another adaptation of the concept, AMC’s short-lived pandemic era series Soulmates. Despite positive reviews, and a premature second season renewal, the show was ultimately cancelled after six episodes. But Bridges couldn’t quite stop thinking about the idea.
From time to time he said, “We would come back and talk about it to each other.” They created two best friend characters who would be secretly in love with one another and mapped out their lives. “We found ourselves plotting out their lives…And then at some point we were like, well we should write this.” Those casual conversations wound up being the film’s genesis, as over time they would find themselves wanting to tell even more of the characters’ story.
Now, unlike other romance stories, All Of You is broken down into a series of scenes told over multiple years. Some take place over consecutive days. Others take place years after the couple has spent years apart. While it can be a little hard to follow at first, Bridges reveals the format was the one constant he and Goldstein knew they wanted to use to underline how crucial each moment is for each character. “The only time they spend together is the time we see them,” he said.
He emphasizes how easy the film was to make because of Goldstein and Poots’ performances too. “It is very handy having your co-writer as your lead actor,” he said. When certain sends needed to be edited or cut down, no one knew how to change it better than Goldstein. As a result, he said almost everything the two put on the page made it into the final product. He added that working with Imogen was a “career highlight” for him too. He praised her process and her particularly impressive ability to be able to get into character at a moment’s notice.
Bridges goes on to say both performances help elevate the film from a typical romance to a love story. As he puts it, “Romance is running to the train station at the end of the movie to say, ‘Don't go, I love you and only you.’ And then the credits roll and they live happily ever after. But that’s not real life.”
He added that “In love stories, “the Happily Ever After" is much more complicated than that.” And said the goal of the film was to ask the audience whether a soulmate is someone you’re 100% compatible with - or someone you love 100%. As he points out, the two couldn’t be any more different but it all boils down to being with the one who makes you feel complete.