There’s something rather amusing about what constitutes an “A24” movie. There’s an expectation placed upon the studio as of late regarding the type of film it releases into theatres, and within its own genre, the A24 comedy has rarely been as wholesome as what Eternity projects. Between the the darker fare of Sorry, Baby and the eat the rich concept behind Death of a Unicorn, it’s flirted with comedy in a less direct way than what David Freyne does, with Eternity wholesomely embracing its romantic comedy core in a way that the genre hasn’t had the pleasure of experiencing in some few years now.
When we first meet Larry and Joan, Pat Cunnane‘s script easily clues us in on their extended marriage (65 years, to be exact), with the two bouncing off each other with a familiarity that speaks to their opposing personalities quite beautifully complimenting the other. They’re visiting their children for the gender reveal of another of their grandbabies, but within only minutes of Larry crabbily dismissing the idea of a gender reveal celebration and trying to hold in how annoyed he is at one of his grandchildren pointing out the particular handsomeness of Joan’s first husband, he chokes on a pretzel and quickly passes away.
When he wakes, he now looks like Miles Teller. He’s in a train station of sorts with thousands of other seeming pedestrians. And he’s continually told that his “AC” will inform him of exactly what is going on. To say he’s confused is an understatement. Soon, thanks to the biting tongue of his “AC” – that would be an afterlife coordinator – Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, an absolute comedic standout here), he learns that he is in the afterlife, lingering in a limbo of sorts that stands as a centre for the recently deceased who can take up to one week to decide where they wish to spend, well, eternity; he has reverted back to his younger looks because, as Anna informs, the afterlife presents you at the time you were the happiest.
As Larry is aware that his dear Joan has cancer and is terminal, he hopes to wait out the time in the afterlife station for her to join him, presuming that she too will want to spend eternity with him. It’s a romantic thought, but it isn’t as viable as he thinks, not when Joan’s first husband, the aforementioned handsome Luke (Callum Turner), is hanging around, also waiting about for Joan; he died in the Korean war and sought employment at the afterlife station for the sole purpose of not wanting to spend eternity without her. None of this actually helps poor Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) when she passes away and arrives only days after Larry, as she’s faced with something of an impossible decision regarding her own eternity: does she spend the rest of her afterlife with Larry, a man she had a full life with? Or with Luke, the man taken away from her too soon, who she had never had the chance to experience an intended life with?
Cunnane’s script is a riff on the classic romantic comedy set up of the-woman-being-torn-between-two-men trope, but thanks to the afterlife concept there’s an entire world built here that richens the concept beyond its familiar set up. It’s like the aesthetic beauty of The Truman Show by way of Nora Ephron’s sensibility, and it’s entirely gorgeous to behold, as the afterlife is layered with sweet visual gags and sly commentary (the amount of eternities you can choose from practically demands multiple viewings of the film to appreciate all the ingredients), whilst Olsen, Teller and Turner play off each other with a classic mentality reminiscent of the glory days of the genre; we saw it in glimpses during her work on WandaVision, but Olsen is truly a gifted comedienne, and Eternity absolutely thrives when she’s let loose.
As to be expected with romantic comedies, it’s the chemistry of its ensemble that a lot of the film lives and dies off, and Olsen, Teller and Turner are all stellar, with both leading men presenting themselves as viable options for Olsen. There really is something quite exciting about such a premise where it’s never easily telegraphed as to who she’ll choose; even if Randolph and John Early, an absolute hoot as Joan’s AC, can’t help but swoon at Luke. And it’s not just Olsen working off a proven history with Teller and a renewed sense of affection for Turner, but Early and Randolph are equally as important to proceedings, and it’s their individual chemistry with one another, as well as Olsen and Teller, respectively, that keeps the film fuelling its sense of com amongst the emotional rom of it all.
There really is such a beautiful classicality to Eternity. Even taking away the afterlife setting, Olsen, Teller and Turner embody their characters in a way that brings to mind the best of the genre from decades gone by; in another life, you could imagine Rock Hudson and Doris Day making a feature such as this. It’s riotously funny and genuinely romantic, but it also balances the weight of its emotional stakes, with Joan’s love story having a multitude of endings that Cunnane delights in waiting to reveal for the film’s ultimate culmination.
Though A24 has never struggled with the ambition of their projects, perhaps something like Eternity, with both its objective and broader audience appeal, will be seen as a step in a more viable direction. It’s quirky enough to please those still craving a sense of originality, but it’s such a shining example of the rom-com that audiences who enjoy such may be bearing witness to a new classic of the genre that will play to continued delight for years to come.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Eternity is screening in Australian theatres from December 4th, 2025.
Eternity was originally reviewed as part of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival coverage.
