Married for decades and creating a life together, Larry and Joan are thrown into turmoil when Larry passes away, finding himself in a limbo between the land of the living and the many eternities one may choose from after death. Choosing to await his wife’s arrival, a wrench is thrown into the works when she finds herself torn between choosing eternity with Larry, her husband of many decades, or her first love, Luke, who was killed in the Korean War when they were young. Who will Joan choose, and which eternity will they spend forever in?
Love triangles and movies about the afterlife are nothing new, but I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a movie that fuses these two concepts. ETERNITY, one of the latest releases from A24, attempts to do just that. This is a rom-com with a twist with Freyne’s writing and direction bringing these two extremes together in a way that’s both hilarious and dramatic. The movie doesn’t go for cheap laughs, and everything feels truly genuine. While it would’ve benefited from some stronger editing, particularly in its latter half, this one struck a chord with me in all the right ways.
The casting deserves major praise; in the hands of lesser talents, ETERNITY wouldn’t have had the same impact. Miles Teller is fantastic as the deceased Larry, who immediately clashes with his wife’s first love from the past, played by Callum Turner. Joan herself is played by Elizabeth Olsen, and the love triangle and the tension on deck, while at times comical, is quite dramatic and beautiful despite the often surreal nature of the film. Also not to be overlooked is an afterlife coordinator portrayed by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who while not the main character, very quickly proves herself the funniest one in the movie. It’s rare a cast comes together perfectly, but ETERNITY hits the high marks.
This quirky take on the afterlife deserves a few shout-outs as well. The premise here involves people having to select one of many eternities based on their desired preferences, where they’ll spend, well, all eternity. Options include an eternity modeled after Paris in the 1960s, one focusing on same-sex relationships, a men-free zone where women can live in peace, and even one where people can sin without consequence. The screening I attended even had mock flyers for the different eternities, which had me laughing before the film even began. Half the fun of ETERNITY is seeing the sheer absurdity and specificity of the eternity options presented to characters when they die and find themselves in the limbo they travel to. You’ll be laughing out loud on more than one occasion.
ETERNITY is perfect in its balance between humor and drama, making it a surprising candidate for the best romantic comedy of 2025. The bonds people forge as married couples over the decades are demonstrated beautifully here, often in the form of “Archives” booths located in the eternities which bring back cherished memories… and not-so-cherished ones. You’ll truly believe the love and desire between these characters and everything they’ve experienced together. There are also many hilarious moments throughout stemming from many different encounters and events, yet never does it feel like the screenplay, credited to director Freyne and Pat Cunnane, never once feels like it’s taking shortcuts or going for cheap laughs.
If there’s one weakness in this otherwise stellar and surreal romantic comedy, it’s the editing. The movie wastes no time getting down to business in its first half, but when we arrive in the second, the movie spends too much time trying to make its point, often meandering and losing its way. At a running time of approximately 114 minutes, it’s about 15 minutes longer than any comedic film should be. A recut, removing those 15 minutes or so, could’ve improved the pacing dramatically. Fortunately, this is the movie’s only major shortcoming.
ETERNITY may feel like it drags on for an eternity in parts of its latter half, but the performances and the balance of romance, comedy, and drama are surprisingly effective. I didn’t find I’d find myself liking this one as much as I did, but the quirky premise pushes it to the top of the heap when it comes to the best rom-coms of 2025. Highly recommended despite its minor editing flaws.