Words by JANE CROWTHER
Who hasn’t wondered ‘what if?’ about a lost love? Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) certainly has, despite a long marriage to perennial complainer Larry (Miles Teller). When she pops her clogs not long after he’s kicked the bucket she finds herself in an afterlife terminus with a destination choice to make. Does she head to a forever with her earthly ball and chain? Or with her handsome first husband, Luke (Callum Turner) who has been waiting for her for 67 years since he bought it during the Korean War? To help her in her quandary, she has an afterlife consultant and the choice of any number of fantasy existences to pick (Studio 54 World, Weimar World without Nazis, Men-Free World is full, Clown World decommissioned). Of course, there are rules: once eternity is decided, it can’t be undone and any escapees are thrown into the black nothing of ‘the void’…
It’s a classic rom-com scenario – a love triangle in which Joan must choose between the partner she has shared a life with and the husband she barely got a chance with; the familiar vs the novelty. And both hubbies are keen to win this contest, sniping and scrapping with each other as they try to entice Joan to endless days on the sunny coast in Beach World (Larry) or in a winter wonderland in Mountain World (Luke). Playing like a forties screwball comedy, Eternity is concerned with romantic overtures and smart protagonists, but also understands the choice paradox affecting us all. Yes, this may be a tale about picking the right guy, but it’s also about plumping for the right paradise, opening up bigger questions about happiness and contentment. While the characters walk through the recruitment hall of different, amusing eternities, audiences will certainly question their own ideas of perfection and if their current existence is meeting requirements.
Turner and Teller do admirably in matching each other in charm as well as foibles, ensuring the happy ending remains a genuine mystery while Da’Vine Joy Randolph sneaks off with many scenes as a seen-it-all afterlife consultant. Olsen, trapped between two spouses, is given more than standard fodder to work with by screenwriter/director David Freyne (co-writing the former Black List script with Pat Cunnane). Joan is frustrated by the process, tempted by an amusing third option and wrestles with what perfection looks like. And if, indeed, it exists on heaven or earth. Where she ultimately ends up feels earned and dramatically satisfying. That said, it’s a shame we don’t get to spend more time in some of the eternities – Ice Cream or Space World might have been fun to visit.
Pictures courtesy of A24
Eternity is in cinemas now
