Eternity

Now this is one of the most visually interesting films I’ve seen all year.

Eternity, directed by David Freyne, asks the age old question: “what happens after we die?” In Freyne’s story, the afterlife is a waiting room where you must decide in one week where you,’’ spend eternity. There’s sunny beaches and lush mountains and cowboy heavens. There is no limit on where you can spend the rest of your afterlife. Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) must choose who she will be spending her eternity with, her first husband Luke (Callum Turner) who passed away tragically young or her second husband Larry (Miles Teller) she had for most of her life.

Despite being about the dead, this film is so full of life. The concept is just so creative and brimming with story possibilities. The story we follow is so fascinating, a post mortem love triangle that makes you think what you would do in this situation. Each performer does a fantastic job at bringing these characters to life and making you connect with them. I do think Olsen does get outshinned by everyone else, but it’s just because they are really acting their asses off. Da’vine Joy Randolph especially stole the show as the afterlife assistant Anna.

The colors on this one are spectacular. These soft baby blues and pinks look great on camera. Its visual style and whole tone of the film feels very classical. Almost 1940s or 50s in terms of romance, but early 1960s when it comes to visuals. It’s something I haven’t seen in such a long time.

I will admit something does feel off with this one. Maybe it’s that some of the characters aren’t the most fleshed out they could be. The pacing isn’t great either, with a really strong start and an ending that drags a bit too long. Maybe this would have worked better with a larger cast and more stories going on, due to the amount of possibilities you could present with a setting such as this one. It's definitely not one of the greats, but it's sweet. An enjoyable watch if you want something unique but still palatable.