I didn’t expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. Rated PG-13, “Eternity” has been described as the perfect date night movie. I found it to be charming, whimsical and refreshingly original. It is a romantic comedy-drama and takes place in an imagined afterlife. Films about the afterlife often walk a fine line between suspension of disbelief and grounded, reality-based performances when telling their stories. This film makes it all work, with quality acting and a clever storyline. Elizabeth Olsen portrays Joan, the central character. She gives a subtle yet powerful performance, relying on facial expressions to reveal internal conflicts when dealing with love, choice and regret. She brings an old-soul elegance that feels like a throwback to an earlier era, making her perfectly cast as a woman who would be elderly in life but appears in the afterlife restored to a younger self. Miles Teller, always a pleasure to watch on-screen, plays Joan’s husband (also in the afterlife) with warmth. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is a stand-out in the supporting role of Anna, an afterlife coordinator. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “The Holdovers”, and lends her passion and humor to this role.
The movie opens with a scene of Joan and Larry as an elderly couple while still alive, likely in their 80s. Soon after, Larry dies and arrives at the Junction – a transitional space where the deceased are sent before they move on. It includes full accommodations, an afterlife hotel of sorts, where people can reflect and make choices about how they want to spend eternity. Inventive details make for both light and more poignant humor as the deceased navigate this neutral holding place. Larry and Joan pass away within several days of each other, and soon she is also on her afterlife journey and runs into Larry. The Junction has coordinators, guides and precise rules. The plot centers around Joan needing to make a choice as to whether to spend eternity with her first husband (a war hero killed in the Korean War who has been waiting for her at the Junction for 67 years) or with her current husband (Larry).
A sweet scene involves Larry and Joan realizing that they can move in ways they haven’t been able to for years, now that they are in younger bodies in the afterlife. Larry demonstrates to Joan how spry he is and suggests that she do some squats so she can experience the same thing. The movie will reveal how the age they will remain for eternity is determined for each deceased person. Callum Turner plays Joan’s dashing first husband Luke (the war hero), for whom the full dream of their perfect marriage was never realized because his life was cut short. Despite Joan’s seemingly contented marriage to Larry, which included many decades with children and later grandchildren, she’s never forgotten Luke. Olsen plays Joan in a manner which makes it believable that she is an elderly woman in the body of her younger self, trying to decide the direction of her eternity. This sets up a love triangle, as well as some suspense.
Scenic elements include an individualized museum known as the Gallery, where the deceased can revisit moments from their past lives. Joan’s repeated visits to the Gallery are intriguing, as she seeks to find both answers to her past and help in making decisions for her eternal future. As the film progresses, humorous touches appear throughout as Larry and Luke compete for Joan’s affections and commitment in this new realm. Will this movie be your cup of tea? If you are looking for pure action and grit and find movies that are a little sappy a major turn-off, then maybe not. If you are open to nostalgic charm and originality, as well as being pleasantly surprised, I suggest seeing it.
