Debapriya Bhattacharya
Helmed by William Bridges, ‘All of You‘ tells the story of Simon (Brett Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots), best friends from university who have long harbored undeclared feelings for each other. Over the years, they keep drifting in and out of one another’s lives, with Laura even taking a test that determines her soulmate to be another man. Despite the revelation, their feelings do not diminish, forcing them to choose between accepting their fate and moving on, and risking everything to be with each other. The futuristic romantic drama explores the idea of individual freedom for people to discover who they are truly meant to be with, while highlighting all the ups and downs that come along the way. If you are in search of more movies similar to ‘All of You,’ the following list is meant for you.
10. The One I Love (2014)
Directed by Charlie McDowell, ‘The One I Love’ revolves around Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss), a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. On the advice of their therapist, they decide to take a vacation at a secluded estate to rejuvenate their relationship. While they have been expecting a peaceful retreat, something surreal occurs within the house, which brings about conflicting feelings within them and makes them rethink their future. Like ‘All of You,’ ‘The One I Love’ steps into the surreal as a couple determines whether they are making the right choice by being together.
9. About Time (2013)
The Richard Curtis directorial, ‘About Time,’ follows Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson), who is informed by his father, James (Bill Nighy), on his 21st birthday that the men in their family possess the ability to travel through time. This opens up an infinite number of possibilities for the young man, who decides to utilize the power to get a girlfriend. When Tim meets Mary (Rachel McAdams) and falls in love, he takes as many tries as needed to win her over. However, as time progresses, he is forced to face the consequences of his actions, which cannot be undone without rewriting the timeline. Tim’s tendency to keep going back to Mary is reminiscent of Simon and Laura returning to each other in ‘All of You.’
8. The Lobster (2015)
‘The Lobster,’ directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, takes place in a near-future dystopia, where people living in the city are legally not allowed to remain single for long. When David’s (Colin Farrell) wife leaves him for another man, he is taken to The Hotel, which accommodates all single people. There, he is given 45 days to find a partner or be transformed into an animal. The man is accompanied by a dog, whom he claims to be his brother, who did not manage to complete the task when it was his turn. Among the people he comes across, it is a woman in the woods outside the hotel that he gets attached to. Similar to the soulmate test in ‘All of You,’ the society depicted in ‘The Lobster’ has overarching rules when it comes to finding love.
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Directed by Michel Gondry, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ centers around former couple Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet). Following in the latter’s footsteps, Joel decides to undergo a scientific procedure that will remove any memory of her from his mind. However, life does not go as smoothly for him as he expects, as he and Clementine soon begin to orbit around each other once again. Much like Simon and Laura in ‘All of You,’ Joel and Clementine’s relationship does not evaporate even as they drift out of each other’s lives.
6. Perfect Sense (2011)
Helmed by David Mackenzie, ‘Perfect Sense’ is set in a world where humans begin to progressively lose their senses. Beginning with smell, and followed by taste and sight, the sudden symptoms spread like a pandemic across the globe, plunging the world into complete chaos. Amid the unfolding disaster, scientist Susan (Eva Green) comes across chef Michael (Ewan McGregor), and the two begin a relationship as society crumbles and authorities struggle to maintain order. As in ‘All of You,’ the couple only has their feelings for each other to push through all odds and support one another through unprecedented times.
5. Her (2013)
Set in near-future Los Angeles, ‘Her’ is helmed by Spike Jonze and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly, a sensitive man who works as a personal letter writer. When his impending divorce leaves him depressed, Theodore gets a new operating system for his phone that is designed to learn and adapt from him and cater to his every need. Identifying as Samantha, the AI fascinates Theodore, who slowly becomes emotionally connected with it. As their relationship evolves from friendship to love, both are compelled to confront their place in the world in relation to each other. Developing on the idea of a program finding one’s soulmate in ‘All of You,’ the digital entity morphs itself to become the perfect person of a human in ‘Her.’
4. The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
Marking the directorial debut of George Nolfi, ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ is loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s short story ‘Adjustment Team.’ Matt Damon stars in the film as David Norris, a politician running for the Senate seat from the state of New York. When he meets ballerina Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt), it is love at first sight for David. However, as their paths keep crossing, a group of strange men abducts David and warns him to stay away from her, as it is not part of their plan that he ends up with Elise. The group claims to be a powerful organization that keeps watch on everything that happens across the globe. However, like the couple in ‘All of You,’ David decides to choose Elise above everything else.
3. In Your Eyes (2014)
Directed by Brin Hill, ‘In Your Eyes’ revolves around Rebecca Porter (Zoe Kazan) and Dylan Kershaw (Michael Stahl-David). She lives on the East Coast and is the trophy wife of a successful doctor, while he is a former convict who is struggling to get a fresh start in New Mexico. They suddenly find themselves telepathically connected and able to see, hear, and feel everything that the other person does. This starts a metaphysical romance unlike any other. Similar to ‘All of You,’ the romance is a slow burn, as the couple involved gets to know each other intimately first.
2. Equals (2015)
Set in a dystopian future where humans have achieved increasing efficiency by getting rid of all emotions, ‘Equals,’ directed by Drake Doremus, chronicles the relationship between Nia (Kristen Stewart) and Silas (Nicholas Hoult). Working together, they start to develop feelings for each other, which is considered to be a disease by the society known as the Collective. As others start suspecting them of engaging in forbidden romance, Nia and Silas are forced to choose between their safety and their love for each other. Much like ‘All of You,’ it is the romance that should not be, according to an emotionless society, that forms the crux of the story.
1. TiMER (2009)
Helmed by Jac Schaeffer, ‘TiMER’ takes place in a world where the titular implant in a person’s wrist counts down to a time that they would find true love with complete accuracy. However, when Oona O’Leary (Emma Caulfield) gets hers installed, the TiMER appears blank. Unaware of what that means, whether her soulmate has not installed one, or if she is not supposed to find true love, she falls in love with Mikey Evers (John Patrick Amedori), a young and free-spirited grocery store clerk whose timer shows a countdown of four months. A number of parallels can be drawn between ‘TiMER’ and ‘All of You.’ Both films have a technology that predicts soulmates for people, and when it does not work out for the protagonists, they decide to risk it all and fall in love nevertheless.
Read More: Where Was All of You Filmed?
