“A lot has happened in a week. You died, I died. I’ve just been reunited with both of my dead husbands … and I have to pick where to spend eternity!”
The age-old question tends to be, “What happens when we die?” Most religions and scholars have their theories, but no one is certain until it happens to them. Many movies have presented their view on the afterlife, but very few have done it in a more touching and hysterical manner than the newest film to bow at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, “Eternity.”
Directed by Irish filmmaker David Freyne and written by Pat Cunnane, “Eternity” tells the story of Larry and Joan, a couple whose 65-year marriage is now marked by tiny spats in the car and their growing family of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Attending a gender reveal party, Larry chokes on a pretzel and meets the afterlife head-on. Immediately confused and unsure of what to expect, Larry is led to a place of limbo where he is introduced to the hereafter.
But life after death isn’t quite what Larry expected.
For one thing, purgatory looks strikingly similar to a hotel containing a large exhibit hall full of trade show booths with options for where to spend eternity. Larry takes the form of his human self when he was the happiest (Miles Teller), is greeted by his Afterlife Coordinator, Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), and is given one week to decide where to spend the rest of eternity. However, Joan is dying of cancer, and Larry wants to make sure he picks the correct option where both of them will spend all of their days together.
Joan (now in her younger form of Elizabeth Olsen) does arrive a short week later, just as confused as Larry. But her confusion is compounded by the presence of Luke (a matinee idol-looking Callum Turner), Joan’s first husband, who died in the Korean War. Now torn between two lovers, Joan is given a short time to decide with whom, and where, to spend eternity.
On its face, “Eternity” is a sweet, spiritual and humorously convoluted take on what dreams may come in The Great Beyond, but it stays true to its premise with outstanding comic range from its cast. Larry and Joan built a life together, but spending forever together now seems almost unpleasant to Joan. Luke is the great love she lost young, and Larry is the great love she already had … what’s a girl to do?
The main cast makes breaking the mold of the romantic comedy genre easy to watch, particularly as Cunnane’s script borrows themes from similar movies of regret and destiny like “Defending Your Life” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Freyne crafts a production design that is intimidating in its structure while seeming personal in its intent, leading an audience through fun exhibits on the convention floor of limbo like Celebrity Land, Capitalist Land, Paris Land, beaches, yachts and mountain retreats that can be chosen to spend in for life. The world-building is ever-expanding, giving rise to a premise that plays on the “what if” archetype in spectacular and inventive ways.
But just as scenes of Larry and Luke bickering with one another and fighting for Joan’s attention become a bit too much to take, here comes Da’Vine Joy Randolph and her Afterlife Coordinator buddy John Early to the rescue. On the surface, Joan’s decision might be clear to the audience, but Randolph and Early make sure to steer the film’s plot back into uncharted territory. Randolph, in particular, owns every scene she walks into, commanding sequences with stellar wit and a near fourth wall break that will make even the casual observer howl at her prowess.
“Eternity” hardly falters in its primary objective to hold its characters accountable for the choices they’ve made in life — exhibiting regret, trauma and loss to high regard when making difficult decisions. The hilarity between scenes is matched by sweet and thoughtful peeks into Joan, Larry and Luke’s lives, creating a chaotic yet intoxicating dilemma of Joan’s creation. The film is overwhelming and never tires of its devotion to its characters’ well-being, throwing wrenches of despair and amusement into a theological understanding.
“Eternity” finds itself in select theaters on Nov. 14, before going wide on Nov. 26.
