In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with and her first love, who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.
Chuck says:
I’m easily sucked into films with knotty moral dilemmas and David Freyne’s “Eternity” has a most intriguing one. It’s “what would you do if” scenario finds a woman facing an impossible choice. Having died, she’s told she can choose to spend the rest of eternity with her first husband, who was killed in the Korean War, or her second spouse of over 50 years. As you would imagine, her response is not immediate nor simple, the script by Patrick Cunnane and Freyne putting her through the emotional wringer as she determines whether she should stay with what she knows or opt for what might have been. There’s plenty of narrative mileage here and it’s to the writers’ credit they’re able to maintain our interest in this quandary as there are more than a few unexpected turns that add further wrinkles to our heroine’s plight.
Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) has been a faithful and loving life, even when her husband Larry (Miles Teller) taxes her patience and while they are both in their 80’s, his passing comes as a shock. As with most long-time marrieds, she soon follows him in death, meeting him in an afterlife waystation. He’s been anxious for her arrival, wanting to consult her on which eternity they should choose to exist in. There’s Beach World, Capitalist World, Smoker’s World, Nude World, Vampire World and many others whose simple titles succinctly sum up what they contain.
However, before a decision can be made, Joan reunites with Luke (Callum Turner), her first husband who put off choosing an eternity to wait for her. Having hung around for nearly 60 years, this profoundly romantic gesture throws her for a loop. Not sure what to do, she wrestles with the pros and cons of each situation, while the two men attempt to convince her, he is her true soulmate.
The tone of the film is crucial to its success, Freyne and his able cast taking a lighthearted, absurdist approach to the premise. The list of available eternities is quite funny and clever, each speaking to a basic desire one can imagine people would willingly embrace forever. The fact that the “Women Only” eternity if full and a second section is being open is spot on and appropriately pointed. That the afterlife is overrun by 10-year-old boys, because your eternal physical form is that of when you were happiest during your life, is the sort of pithy humor that buoys the movie.
Equally inspired are the Afterlife Coordinators, semi-angels who explain to new arrivals where they’re at and what they’re facing. As Anna, Da’Vine Joy Randolph conveys a tired cynicism that is a wonderful counterpoint to Teller’s naivety, while John Early’s tireless exuberance as Joan’s guide Ryan, provides just the right dose of silliness.
The three leads are good but more importantly, they each bring a likability factor that’s vital. We can’t help but like each of these characters and come to identify with each of them at various times. What’s most refreshing is the friendship that develops between the two men. Rivals at the start, they come to see the other’s point of view, each ultimately stepping aside for the other. These honorable acts only complicate things for Joan, the men’s selfless behavior making them even more attractive in their eyes.
These actions don’t lead to a conclusion either, as Cunnane and Freyne give Joan her no easy outs. That being said, they go to the narrative well too often and the story begins to sag during the third act. Still, Olsen’s anguish is beautifully realized throughout, her emotional turn keeping us hooked until the end. As for what she finally opts for, it’s a “your mileage may vary” conclusion, one that will likely strike some as a cop out, others as inevitable. Be that as it may, “Eternity’s” relatable ethical predicament is one the viewer can’t help but put themselves in, a question that may cause some to reevaluate the seeming eternity they’re already enduring.
3 Stars
