Fine! Sure, he was your husband of 65 years….but then there’s Callum Turner.
David Freyne’s 2025 film, Eternity, made its way to Canadian cinemas in late November and bridged a particularly niche cinema gap between the genres of romance, comedy, and fantasy.
Freyne’s Eternity tackles some of our strongest beliefs about love and its several expressions through the lens of two couples in the afterlife. Joan Cutler (Elizabeth Olsen) and Larry Cutler (Miles Teller) are your regular aging couple, simply grappling with routine changes imposed by their old age. That is, until Larry suddenly passes, and the couple is forced apart by the worlds of life and death. When all hope seems lost, Larry discovers that the afterlife is not all it’s portrayed to be on Earth, and is presented with the opportunity to indefinitely reunite with his wife, Joan, at the time of her passing. Only for problems to arise when Larry’s “cemented” plans are compromised in light of Joan’s first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), also being present in the afterlife, and revealed to have waited decades for Joan’s arrival with the same aspirations. Considerably complicating Joan’s timed choice for a forever reality and partner.
Through the ongoing struggle for Joan’s appeal between the former husbands, the film incorporates varying themes of perspective into Joan’s final verdict. Within the thematic focus of perspective, concepts like selective nostalgia, silent expectations of love, and differing definitions of contentment are thoughtfully incorporated as plot developers.
The film makes great use of cinematographic elements like narrative structure and physical metaphors towards character development and interaction. Specifically, Eternity uses a multi-person narrative structure to build both the backstory and present between Joan and her former husbands. This narrative detail helps viewers to actualize the complexity of Joan’s eventual decision, through incorporating flashbacks from the favourable perspectives of her past lovers, Larry and Luke. Another intricate usage of cinematography includes physical metaphors. This aspect of storytelling provides viewers with the opportunity to insert their own philosophies into the film’s whimsical play on the afterlife. Although primarily occurring in a fantasy setting, Eternity invites interpretative connections to everyday living by mimicking societal norms and expectations. Both elements of cinematography kept me not only engaged throughout the entirety of the movie, but eager for post-movie debriefs and discussions on every platform possible.
I came into Eternity as a blind-watch, and left with many questions about my plans for the afterlife in accordance with what I watched. The film continues to play in select Toronto-based theatres and is likely to be available on streaming services like HBO Max in the new year. Whether you’re an avid rom-commer, afterlife theorist, or just someone looking for a good laugh (or cry)— Eternity might have a thing or two that’ll interest you.