This new film from Irish director and co-writer David Freyne is a clever twist on the romcom genre. This is only his third film since he debuted in 2017. There was another film called Dating Amber that won awards at film festivals in 2020. And now it’s 2025, and he’s gone more mainstream. I hope we don’t have to wait that long for his next film because this one is good.
Eternity asks the question, when you die, if you only have one week to decide where to spend eternity and with whom, if you were married twice and had two great loves in your life, who would you choose? That’s the question set before Joan (Elizabeth Olsen). She’s faced with the impossible choice between her loyal second husband Larry (Miles Teller), with whom she spent 60-plus years) and her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died young and waited decades for her to arrive in the afterlife.
Add to the plot the two “Afterlife Coordinators” who are competing against each other as they watch Joan struggle with her decision. The ACs are Anna (Academy Award winner D’Vine Joy Randolph), assigned to Larry, who died before Joan and waited for her to join him, and AC Ryan (John Early), who has been assigned to Joan, but knows Luke, and thinks he’s a better fit.
With the two late husbands literally fighting over Joan to make her decision, the movie is a fun ride to see which eternity Joan chooses.
The concept of a holding area when you die that looks like a big convention center, with people in booths trying to sell you on choosing their eternity, is very clever. It almost feels like you’re at the State Fair and they’re hocking their goods at you. Except that there are no returns with this sale. If you get tired of your choice of eternity, the only other option is being thrown into a great void of nothingness.
Eternity is smart, funny, heartfelt, and a lot of fun to watch. It reminded me of the classic 2003 film Big Fish by Tim Burton. The production value for Eternity was cleverly done with a mix of painted props and theater-style setups, which give the illusion of reality but are clearly painted clouds on a backdrop. Considering we have computers that can do just about anything and put us into any world or virtual reality, the director’s creative choice to do so results in a sublime look and feel for the film. And it works well with his storytelling style and makes excellent use of the textured work of Irish-born cinematographer Ruairi O’Brien.
I give Eternity 4.5 stars. It’s a tender date-night film that may spark a few conversations about who you would choose to spend eternity with and where.
Directed by: David Frevne
Written by: Patrick Cunnane, David Freyne
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 1 h 52 min
Romantic Comedy / Fantasy
Wide Release: In theaters November 26
Starring: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, DaVine Joy Randolph, John Early
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.