Eternity Achieves a Sentimental Forever After

Eternity finds a way to make the afterlife mundane, while exploring the romantic side of ordinary. It quietly subverts the epic love story commonly associated with romances to deliver a sentimental tale of quiet passion. Despite its fantastical premise, this is a movie about how a rock is as good as an atomic blast when it comes to winning someone’s heart.

Events center on Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), an elderly woman who dies peacefully at home only to awake in the frenzied junction between afterlives. Here, the departed are given seven days to decide which eternity they wish to inhabit. Before she can make any decision, Joan is reunited with her recently deceased husband, Larry (Miles Teller), as well as Luke (Callum Turner), her first love who has been waiting sixty-seven years for her arrival. The two expect her to make the difficult decision which one she’ll spend forever with.

The result is one type of love pitted against another. Luke is an example of fiery passion and the borderline perfection seen in most romance fiction. Larry presents the peace of mind that comes from spending a life together, raising a family and weathering myriad storms. Joan is essentially left wondering if she should continue the existence she already lived or embrace the life she never had since Luke died shortly after their marriage. What’s interesting is that neither significant other is necessarily bad. Joan is never shown harboring some hidden desire to leave Larry. When Luke’s imperfections surface, they’re more humanizing than repellent.

Eternity is more concerned with what makes for an honest connection between people. This is the type of story where love isn’t about volcanic desire melting away the chains restricting a repressed person. Rather, it’s how heartstrings tighten between people enduring the mundane together — true romance is being able to do boring chores together not just making out on a stormy cliff. The problem for Joan is that having experienced both, she sees the appeal of each side.

Thankfully, Eternity never takes a position until the very end. Audiences are able to root for whomever they wish. The film never pulls any skeletons out of the closet to push viewers away from either aspiring paramour. And Joan’s ultimate choice is a wonderful outcome that satisfies all notions of romance, while making it less about choosing a man and instead realizing where her happiness lies.

Meanwhile, the road there is littered with absurd comedy. Some of the jokes definitely seem as if they might have been funnier on paper than in the motion picture. The various exhibits extolling one afterlife over another are often low hanging fruit. However, nothing ever derails the lighthearted air this dramedy aims for. That isn’t to say Eternity is a laugh a minute chuckle riot. Instead, it knows when to be mirthful while exploring the melancholy as well as when to allow certain scenes to be heavier.

Most of the best humor comes courtesy of dialogue. The interactions between various characters sell jokes better than the words would alone. Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) is splendid as an afterlife coordinator trying to help the trio navigate their decisions. Her comedic timing is impeccable as is Elizabeth Olsen’s (The Assessment). Her interactions with Miles Teller (Whiplash) display the chemistry and comfort of two people married for years. Meanwhile, she’s able to switch effortlessly to the dreamy eyes of a smitten person whenever regarding her lost love Luke. This in turn resulting in some humorous consternation on Larry’s part.

Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) displays an excellent mix. He portrays a dashing lead reminiscent of classic films, who smoothly alternates into a fellow frustrated by the façade of presumed perfection. He conveys the tragedy of someone living a dream confronting the crushing facts of reality.

Director David Freyne helped with the script written by Pat Cunnane. The two deliver an afterlife that’s remarkably mundane. Instead of outlandish surrealism, Eternity aims at a very grounded conception. However, in the process, I dare say, they’ve inadvertently scripted one of the most horrifying afterlives ever conceived. It is one without consequences for any actions, a universe constructed by a now absent god, and one that implies blissful eternities designed around notions that are no longer, as one character puts it, “p.c.”

That said, I sincerely doubt most audiences will get caught on this loose nail, regardless of its most horrific implications. That’s partly because Eternity wisely never tells the audience what to think. The world building seen here is aimed at setting up jokes and drama not sparking metaphysical discussions. Everything is conceived to create opportunities to pontificate about love or have characters discuss their relationships. Consequently, many instances and interactions feel less organic even when they work out.

Fortunately, the performances sell such sections. Elizabeth Olsen is especially marvelous at delivering the emotions necessary to make all other issues melt away. She draws the audience into her difficult decision without ever losing the aura of authenticity needed to make things believable. Her chemistry with both Teller and Turner further propels the picture into a sentimental if not logical plausibility.

In other words, Eternity isn’t about the circumstances surrounding the dilemma or the crooked rails that bring an audience to each dramatic plot point. Rather, it’s about watching these characters react to various outcomes. Frankly, contrived as the premise is, it’s no less unbelievable than the serendipity seen in a thousand other romance fictions.

Eternity may not feature a mind-blowing depiction of the Great Beyond, but the romantic sentimentality it aims for is certainly achieved. The dilemma Joan faces is relatable and emphasized by seemingly effortless emotional exchanges with those portraying her love interests. The way the story unfolds with a touch of humor alongside heart is sure to satisfy most audiences. Moreover, Eternity is an interesting romance since it isn’t about falling in love, but why people love one another in the first place. That’s a question well worth exploring.