Eternity (2025 film)

Plot Synopsis

The film opens on Larry and Joan Cutler, an elderly couple married for 65 years, attending a family gender reveal party. The couple has kept secret that Joan has terminal cancer. At the party, Larry sees a photo of Joan's first husband, Luke, who died in the Korean War. Larry suddenly chokes on a pretzel and dies. He awakens as a young man on a train bound for the afterlife, arriving at a waystation called the Junction. There, he meets his Afterlife Coordinator, Anna, who explains he must choose a themed eternity to inhabit, with the decision being final. If he does not choose within seven days, he will need to find employment in the Junction. Larry chooses a beach-themed eternity and writes a letter to Joan, promising to wait for her there. As he departs for the train station, he sees Joan has just arrived at the Junction as a young woman. She is greeted by the Junction's bartender, who reveals himself to be Luke, having waited for her for 67 years.

Joan is overwhelmed by the pressure from both husbands to choose one for eternity. Her coordinator, Ryan, clearly favours Luke. Due to her unique circumstance, Joan is granted permission to sample two eternities before deciding. She first visits a mountain-themed eternity with Luke, where they visit the Archives to view moments from their past life together. Luke becomes upset when he sees that Larry later proposed to Joan at the same dock where he said goodbye to her. Joan then samples the beach eternity with Larry, who refuses to revisit their life in the Archives but tells her he would have waited for her indefinitely. Luke finds Larry's letter and shows it to Joan, who unfavourably compares Larry's written promise to Luke's decades of waiting. Unable to decide, Joan opts to join her recently deceased friend Karen in a Paris-themed eternity instead.

Larry realizes that souls in the afterlife appear as the age they were happiest, and Joan has worn her hair long, a style from her first marriage. Concluding she was happier with Luke, Larry selflessly tells Joan to choose him. Joan and Luke begin their eternity in the mountains. Over time, however, Joan becomes dissatisfied and frequently visits the Archives to relive memories with Larry. She realizes the accumulated small moments of a long life together matter more to her than a youthful romance untouched by hardship. When Joan decides she wants to be with Larry, Luke fears she will be lost to the Void if she tries to leave. After finding closure, Luke helps Joan escape by acting as a decoy. Joan confronts troubled memories in the Archives before finding her way back to the Junction.

In the Junction, Joan enlists the help of Ryan and Anna to find Larry. They discover he never left, having taken Luke's old bartending job to forgo an eternity without her. The two reunite and enter a discontinued eternity that resembles their ordinary earthly life, choosing to spend forever together in a familiar, shared world. The film's conclusion emphasizes the value of a shared history over idealized fantasy, with the protagonists actively choosing the mundane reality of their long marriage as their perfect forever.

Cast and Characters

The film features an ensemble cast led by three central performers. Elizabeth Olsen portrays Joan Cutler, the woman at the heart of the story who must evaluate the emotional dilemma of choosing between two great loves in the afterlife. Miles Teller plays Larry Cutler, Joan's second husband of 65 years, a pragmatic man who built a life with her and whose love is expressed through steadfast loyalty. Callum Turner appears as Luke, Joan's first husband who died young in the Korean War and has waited decades for her in the afterlife, representing a love frozen in time and free from life's complications. The supporting cast provides both comedic and emotional grounding to the fantastical setting, each character serving a specific function within the film's bureaucratic afterlife system.

• Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Anna, Larry's empathetic and helpful Afterlife Coordinator who guides him through the initial rules of the Junction.
• John Early as Ryan, Joan's Afterlife Coordinator who openly roots for Luke and subtly pressures Joan throughout her decision process.
• Olga Merediz as Karen, Joan's neighbour and friend who offers a third option for eternity and represents a choice free from romantic obligation.
• Barry Primus appears as the elderly Larry Cutler in the film's opening scenes, establishing the couple's long history.
• Betty Buckley appears as the elderly Joan Cutler in the opening scenes, portraying the character at the end of her natural life.

The performances anchor the film's high concept premise in relatable human emotions. Elizabeth Olsen's portrayal of Joan's confusion and ultimate clarity serves as the narrative's emotional core. Miles Teller embodies a weathered and sometimes grumpy devotion as Larry. Callum Turner portrays a more romantic and patient idealism as Luke. The dynamic between these three leads drives the film's central conflict and its resolution.

Development and Production

The development of Eternity began with Pat Cunnane's original screenplay, which was voted onto the 2022 Black List, an annual survey of the most-liked unproduced screenplays in Hollywood as voted on by film executives. This recognition brought significant industry attention to the project. In March 2024, the independent studio A24 hired Irish director David Freyne to helm the project, marking a step into larger-scale filmmaking for the director. Key casting announcements followed swiftly, with Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner signing on to star in the lead roles. Olsen and Teller also took on additional duties as executive producers for the film, indicating their creative investment in the project beyond their performances.

The supporting cast was filled out in late May and June 2024 with the additions of Da'Vine Joy Randolph, John Early, and Olga Merediz. Composer David Fleming was hired to create the film's musical score, responsible for establishing the film's tonal blend of whimsy and sentiment. Principal photography for the film commenced on May 24, 2024. The production was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, utilizing the city and its surrounding areas as the primary filming location for both earthly and afterlife settings. The shoot lasted approximately six weeks, wrapping on July 5, 2024. The Vancouver production provided a significant economic contribution to the Canadian film industry, continuing the trend of major Hollywood studios utilizing Canadian locations and crew for their tax incentives and skilled workforce.

Release Strategy and Festival Circuit

Eternity had a prominent festival run beginning with its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025. Its selection for TIFF, one of the world's largest public film festivals, provided an early platform and significant Canadian exposure, aligning with A24's strategy of building buzz through prestigious festival slots. The film continued its festival appearances by closing the 61st Chicago International Film Festival on October 26, 2025, a position of honour typically reserved for a film expected to resonate with audiences. It was also featured in the Icon section of the Stockholm International Film Festival on November 9, 2025, further building its international profile ahead of its commercial release.

Following its festival engagements, A24 released the film theatrically across the United States on November 26, 2025. The studio's distribution strategy leveraged its reputation for marketing distinctive, auteur-driven projects to a wide audience. The late November release date positioned the film for the holiday moviegoing season, targeting adult audiences looking for sophisticated comedy and romance. The film's festival success and positive word-of-mouth were key components of its marketing campaign, which highlighted the film's inventive premise and acclaimed cast.

Critical and Audience Reception

Eternity received generally positive reviews from critics upon its release. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 194 critics' reviews were positive, with an average rating of 6.8 out of 10. The site's critical consensus summarized the film as "Marrying a clever spin on the afterlife with an infectious sweet streak, Eternity is a spiritual successor to classic romantic screwball comedies that's worthy of their company." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 58 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. This discrepancy suggests a divide between more mainstream and more niche critical responses, with some reviewers praising its heart and others critiquing its pacing.

Audience reception, as measured by PostTrak, was notably stronger. Moviegoers gave the film an 84% overall positive score, with 54% stating they would "definitely recommend" it. This indicates the film's themes and execution resonated well with general audiences beyond critical circles. Critic Pete Hammond of Deadline offered a representative mixed review, praising the film's "bright and fun production design" and "sparkling colorful cinematography" while noting the middle section "feels like an eternity" and could use "a little tightening." The film's performance solidified its status as a crowd-pleasing entry in the romantic comedy genre with a fantastical twist, succeeding more with audiences than with some segments of the critical establishment.

Themes and Cultural Context

Eternity engages with longstanding philosophical and narrative traditions concerning the afterlife, love, and choice. The film's central premise, a person being forced to choose a single companion for eternity, serves as a high-stakes metaphor for evaluating the different forms love takes across a lifetime. It explores the tension between youthful, idealized romance and the deeper, more complex love forged through decades of shared experience, hardship, and compromise. The setting of the Junction and its rules create a structured, bureaucratic afterlife that allows for both comedic scenarios and emotional revelations, framing cosmic questions within a relatable, almost corporate framework.

The film can be seen as part of a subgenre of afterlife comedies that includes titles like Defending Your Life and the television series After Life, using humour to examine existential questions about memory, regret, and fulfillment. Its resolution, which sees the protagonists choosing a modest, familiar eternity over grandiose themed ones, champions the beauty and meaning found in ordinary, shared daily life. This thematic conclusion reinforces the idea that true fulfillment is not found in perpetual paradise, but in the authentic connection built over a lifetime, with all its arguments and quiet moments. The film suggests that our defining relationships are not necessarily the most dramatic, but the most enduring and real.

The mechanics of the film's afterlife also serve as narrative devices for character exploration. The Archives allow characters to literally revisit their pasts, forcing them to confront forgotten details and reinterpret their own histories. The rule that souls appear as the age they were happiest becomes a crucial plot point, revealing character truths through visual cues. The threat of the Void introduces stakes to the characters' choices, making their decisions about love and commitment carry literal, eternal consequences. These elements combine to create a speculative framework that is both inventive and tightly integrated into the film's emotional journey.

Box Office and Accolades

As an A24 release premiering in late November, the film was positioned to capture the adult drama and comedy audience during the holiday season. A24 has a track record of achieving significant commercial success with mid-budget, critically acclaimed films, suggesting Eternity was part of this business model. The strong audience scores from PostTrak, with 84% positive feedback and 54% definite recommendation, indicate healthy word-of-mouth that likely contributed to its theatrical run. The film's festival appearances at TIFF, the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Stockholm International Film Festival served as early markers of quality and generated press coverage that functioned as a form of pre-release accolade. Being selected to close the Chicago International Film Festival is a mark of distinction that signals the festival organizers' confidence in the film as a crowd-pleasing finale. Its enduring appeal lies in its blend of genre elements, making it a film discussed for its conceptual cleverness as much as its romantic story. The film's exploration of love and memory within a structured afterlife continues a conversation present in other works, but with a distinct comedic and visual style.

Questions about Eternity (2025 film)

Where was the movie Eternity filmed?

The principal photography for Eternity took place entirely in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Filming began on May 24, 2024, and wrapped on July 5, 2024. The production utilized the city and its surrounding areas, contributing to the local film industry and economy. Vancouver is a frequent filming location for major Hollywood productions due to its versatile landscapes and established studio infrastructure.

Who stars in the 2025 film Eternity?

The film stars Elizabeth Olsen as Joan Cutler, the woman who must choose between two husbands in the afterlife. Miles Teller plays her second husband, Larry Cutler, and Callum Turner portrays her first husband, Luke. The supporting cast includes Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Anna, John Early as Ryan, and Olga Merediz as Karen. Barry Primus and Betty Buckley appear briefly as the elderly versions of Larry and Joan in the film's opening scenes.

What is the plot of Eternity?

Eternity follows an elderly woman named Joan who dies and arrives in a waystation to the afterlife called the Junction. There, she discovers both her first husband, who died young, and her second husband, with whom she shared 65 years of marriage, are waiting for her. She is forced to choose which one to spend eternity with and is allowed to sample a day with each in their chosen afterlife settings. The film explores her emotional journey as she revisits memories and ultimately discovers which love truly defines her.

When did Eternity premiere?

Eternity premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025. It was theatrically released in the United States by A24 on November 26, 2025. The film also closed the 61st Chicago International Film Festival on October 26, 2025. It was screened in the Icon section of the Stockholm International Film Festival on November 9, 2025.

Is Eternity based on a book?

No, Eternity is not based on a book. The film is an original screenplay written by Pat Cunnane. His script was featured on the 2022 Black List, which highlights the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood as voted on by film executives. The story was developed specifically for the screen by Cunnane and director David Freyne.

How was Eternity received by critics?

The film received positive reviews from a majority of critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 194 reviews were positive, with critics praising its clever premise and sweet nature. Audience scores were even higher, with PostTrak reporting an 84% positive score. Some critics, like Pete Hammond of Deadline, felt the pacing could be tighter, but overall the film was seen as a successful and inventive romantic comedy.

Sources and further reading

• Eternity (2025 film) (Wikipedia)
• Watch Eternity (tv.apple.com)
• Eternity (2025) (rottentomatoes.com)
• Eternity Review: Bizarre love triangle (filmsfatale.com)
• Eternity (2025) directed by David Freyne (letterboxd.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-31.