A Review of Eternity (the Movie, NOT the Concept)
Source: A24
It is close to the middle of February, and we all know what that means. Love season is upon us, and the stores are brimming with chocolates, pink ribbons, and red wine. In line with the spirit of the season, I was on the lookout for a new rom-com to watch. That’s when I remembered a movie I had seen some buzz about just a few months ago.
Eternity (2025), starring Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, and Miles Teller, has a simple but intriguing concept. A woman dies and goes to the afterlife, where she meets both her husbands—one her first love, who passed away in the Korean War when they were young, and the other her second husband, with whom she lived the rest of her life and built a family. In this world, each character is given an ‘afterlife coordinator’ to help facilitate their transition into an ‘eternity,’ which are afterlives of all different types. From Beach Eternity to Eternity in Paris, there are endless options to pick from. The only catch: You can only pick one place, and you will never be able to leave. Faced with her two great loves, our main character must now decide where and with whom to spend eternity. As you can imagine, antics ensue.
Starting with my overall thoughts (sans major spoilers), I thought the movie was very cute, clever, and heartwarming. All of the characters were likable, the jokes were better than expected, and it does tug at the heartstrings (yes, it made me tear up, but that’s not a high bar for a movie to pass). Its retro color-grading and design overall were also quite pleasing to look at. If this is on your radar at all, and you enjoy a well-done rom-com, you will probably love it.
However, the story fell a little short of its amazing premise and setup. The idea of an infinite number of eternities was a great concept that brought about many jokes. However, we spend most of the plot with characters talking in the interim space between eternities and never get to see the full potential of the worldbuilding. I could see a whole series being made from various stories within the world (I’m looking at you, Vampire Eternity).
Additionally, the idea of never being able to leave your chosen eternity is presented as this looming threat with an almost-eerie undertone. Police forces are seen taking people away for trying to escape from their eternity and tossing them into the abyss. However, this is never explored more than as a plot device for the main character to pick her husband and stick to it. I was waiting the entire time to meet the CEO of this eternity space or learn more about why they cannot leave wherever they pick. (Personally, an eternity of anything sounds like hell to me.) Maybe it would have been too much of a deviation from the original plot, but it felt too built-up for it to go nowhere special. Also, *major spoiler warning*, the fact that our main character was able to switch eternities just by running faster than the police felt a little too convenient.
Despite my small qualms, I still really enjoyed what this movie had to offer. While it did not revolutionize anything, I think it was a unique way to go about a rom-com. I feel like we have been in a rom-com drought for the past couple of years, and this quenched my thirst quite a decent amount. So, if you are looking for a sweet movie to watch to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I would give Eternity a go! Although be warned, it is more emotional than the average high-school storyline.
