A24’s most highly anticipated romantic comedies, “Eternity,” a fantasy dealing with love, choices, and mortality in the afterlife, features Elizabeth Olsen in the lead. The film is directed by David Freyne, and Miles Teller and Callum Turner co-star alongside her. It tells the story of Joan Cutler, played by Olsen, a 90-year-old matriarch who, after dying, is sent to the Afterlife Junction, where she has but a week to decide where to spend eternity. The plot thickens as Joan’s long-dead first husband shows up, forming an exciting love triangle element not usually explored in today’s romcoms.
Olsen plays Joan as both young and old, like a 90-year-old woman stuck inside of a younger one, which feels in keeping with her own sense of disconnection from modern romantic comedy. She says this role allowed her to grapple with age and retrospect in ways she’s never found possible in most modern-day romcoms. The film is unique because it merges classic screwball comedy with universal themes of love, loss, and choice, finding that sweet spot which really clicks with audiences who feel mortal and make meaningful life choices.
“Eternity” is coming into theaters amid a reappearance of love triangle tales, as A24 leads the tide with films such as “Past Lives” and “The Materialists.” Olsen reflects on the everyday obsession with choice in today’s present age and on this tangible aspect of the film: at any point in your life, there could have been many ways through which to go. The film premiered to critical interest for its smart, sweet portrayal of romance beyond typical youthful settings, offering a fresh take that intermingles the fantastical with deeply human experiences.
