What happens when you die and discover the afterlife has all the bureaucratic nightmare of choosing a cable provider? Eternity premiered at TIFF 2025, putting Elizabeth Olsen in the impossible position of choosing between two husbands for all of eternity. It’s basically The Bachelor, but with significantly higher stakes and way better production design.
Death Dilemma
Director David Freyne (Dating Amber) crafts an Eternity afterlife premise that’s both clever and emotionally brutal. Elizabeth Olsen plays Joan, who dies of cancer and reunites with husband Larry (Miles Teller) in a cosmic waiting room called the Junction. The twist? Her first husband Luke (Callum Turner), killed in the Korean War, has been waiting 67 years for her return.
“There’s an undeniable allure surrounding Brando globally, but what distinguishes this film is its portrayal of him through such an unexpected and intimate lens,” noted one industry observer about the film’s approach to eternal love stories. The Eternity afterlife setting allows characters to appear in their youthful prime while wrestling with decades of accumulated relationship history.
Choice Paralysis
The Eternity afterlife bureaucracy includes Coordinators (Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early) who help souls choose their eternal paradise from options like Casino World, Food World, or the mysteriously full Marxist World. Joan gets one week with each husband to make her final decision—a setup that promises everything and somehow delivers less.
Olsen handles Joan’s impossible choice with “charming exasperation,” while Teller makes Larry’s understated appeal genuinely compelling. Turner’s Luke represents first love’s dangerous allure, though critics noted his chemistry with Olsen feels somewhat lacking compared to the comfortable familiarity she shares with Teller.
Purgatory Pacing
Unfortunately, Eternity afterlife premise works better in theory than execution. The film’s midsection drags as Joan oscillates between choices, with promising comedic setups (including a Dean Martin cameo bit) ultimately going nowhere. At nearly two hours, the slender premise needs more substantial material to avoid the sluggish pace that plagued TIFF audiences.
Production by Tim and Trevor White for A24 ensures strong visual presentation, with production designer Zazu Myers creating vibrant afterlife environments and cinematographer Ruairi O’Brien capturing Freyne’s whimsical vision. The November 26, 2025 release positions the film as awards season counter-programming to typical holiday blockbusters.
Eternity afterlife romance asks profound questions about love, contentment, and whether “the years of everyday contentment truly compare to the exhilarating rush of first love.” While the concept deserves praise for originality, execution falls short of matching its ambitious emotional scope.
Also Read: Superman Man of Tomorrow: Gunn’s Genius Lex Luthor Team-Up