Now comes David Freyne’s take on the formula. The new A24 movie, Eternity, takes the love triangle and has it play out in the afterlife. Although that may sound like a more high concept fantasy movie, that is not how it should be perceived. Make no mistake, this is a romcom - and a good one.
Eternity opens with Larry and Joan driving home for their family gender reveal party. Given the premise of the film, and Larry’s overly cautious driving style, I was fully expecting a jump-scare car crash in which at least one of the characters dies. Lo and behold, a car screeches towards the couple … and yet it screeches to a halt, and Larry and Joan drive on. Early in the film, Freyne makes it clear that this is not going to be your standard formulaic romcom and instead we should sit back and allow the film to deliver on its premise rather than try to work it out ourselves.
It’s not a spoiler to say that shortly after this near crash, Larry and Joan pass away and find themselves in the afterlife - now in their younger states and played by Miles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen. Not exactly pearly gates and the big man on a throne, this afterlife is more like a train station, wherein each individual must decide where they would like to spend eternity. Here we meet Luke (Callum Turner), the first husband of Joan who died fighting for his country. Joan must now decide not only where she wants to spend eternity, but who with.
To aid them in making their decisions, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early are drafted in as their Afterlife Coordinators, tasked with placing each of their clients in the most suitable eternity - and there are plenty to choose from. There’s a Studio 54 World, a No Men Allowed World, a 1930s Germany World (now with 100% less Nazis) or the more conventional Beach World.
All of these worlds are on display at kiosk stalls like a hotel marketing conference, or even advertised on the television in each deceased’s room. While they do function as a source of comic relief, they begin to feel like snippets from a sketch show akin to Tim Robinson’s “I think you should leave”. They are genuinely funny jokes that land, but it also feels like Freyne and co-writer Patrick Cunnane were really enjoying playing in the premise they had created rather than serving the story. There’s even an extended sequence involving a mistaken identity that, again while funny, feels like a break within the movie to make joke before returning to the issue at hand.
It’s perhaps moments like this that contribute towards the awkward momentum of the film. I recently wrote about Steven Soderbergh’s "Black Bag" which comes in at around 90 minutes and is a great example of efficient filmmaking. On the contrary, Eternity’s biggest flaw is its pacing. It doesn’t seem like an issue at first as we’re drawn in by the concept and the comic relief, but once it takes a breath and we realise that actually we’re just waiting for Joan to make her mind up, it begins to lose some of that early momentum.
That’s not to say the comic relief is unwelcome. In fact, I did not expect this film to be as funny as it was. Each of the three main cast members get to flaunt their own comedic chops while John Early perfectly plays the sharp screwball lines and Da’Vine Joy Randolph is a delight in every scene as usual.
But remember this is a romcom, not a com. The movie also has heart. We have the classic romantic lines and the perfect heroic man and the film ponders questions on the purpose of life, on the importance of memories and the meaning of love itself. We even have the dramatic character running through a train station in a race to find their loved one cliché.
By including these recognisable tropes, it’s clear that the filmmakers are not attempting to avoid the tag of a romance but instead positioning the film firmly within the genre. They then proceed to throw us off the scent and keep us guessing for as long as they can. As a high concept meditation on the meaning of life and the sanctity of marriage, the film falls short. Yet trade the philosophy for a few erectile dysfunction jokes and tear-inducing monologues, and you’ve got yourself a high-end romcom.
I’m not suggesting that the audience should lower their expectations. Only that the film should be viewed in the correct context. It has pacing problems as it sacrifices deeper meaning for laughs and it doesn’t quite produce the epiphanic ending that some may be hoping for. But if you can prevent yourself from trying to predict where the plot is headed, submit yourself to the film and settle in for a good modern take on the classic screwball romcom, you’ll have a great time.
★★★★
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