Stories that ponder the idea of what follows life after death have much room for exploration. In David Freyne’s Eternity, an afterlife is conceived where dead souls control their destiny on how to spend their post-mortem eternity. The late elderly couple of Larry and Joan step into the afterlife, only to be faced with some remarkable dilemmas.
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Beyond simply hypothesizing the functionality of the afterlife, Eternity challenges life and love by pitting Joan against the impossible task of choosing between Larry, her husband of 60+ years, or Luke, her first husband who had died in the Korean War.
Beyond what is told at face value with this concept, I liked how these characters could be broken down further and the basis of their relationships tested. It builds on the questions towards valuing a life long lived or a life that never was. I liked the world building behind the afterlife to add weight to this moral conflict, and it doesn’t go down any unnecessary rabbit holes or detours to distract from the core story.
Miles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen are wonderful, and I appreciated the intricacies in their performances. There is also some very impressive production design by Zazu Myers on display, specifically placed within this unique version of the afterlife. The scale of the set design by Janessa Hitsman, the set decorator is nothing short of remarkable.
On a sourer note, my admiration of Eternity began to slip as the pacing sat in. It’s ironic how “Eternity” can be a suitable title to describe the dragged-out third act. It appeared that the writers, Patrick Cunnane and David Freyne were generating new developments in the plot to hastily wrap it up and extend the final third of the film.
Don’t get me wrong, the first two acts moved by swiftly, and the ending can be described as a cute tearjerker. Even if some outcomes and narrative variables were predictable, I think Freyne’s was successful in writing around these conceits to draw in definitive interest and intrigue in these characters.
Eternity (2025) asks and answers meaningful questions, beyond theorizing what may be encountered in the next life. It’s with great characters, performances, and efforts from director David Freyne that this will be a film many will find gratifying.
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