Eternity (2025) was honestly such a good romance movie. The things I had problems with weren’t at all the romantic leads, the acting, or the romance itself. My problems were with the simplistic setup of a commercialized afterlife. I’ll get into all of that below, though. 

So, our stars? Wow, they were so wonderful. Elizabeth Olsen is adorable and funny and charming and SO GOOD AT ACTING. Miles Teller? Freaking adorable. I fell in love with him instantly in the movie, and his character and Joan’s relationship was just perfect. Callum Turner as Joan’s first love, Luke, had this immediate swoon-effect to him that makes you want to melt. He was literally the idolization of a first love and you could see all of the emotions and what-ifs come right from Joan’s eyes as she saw him. Like I said, the acting was just spot on and so good right alongside the writing of the characters and their arcs. 

The romance? Phew. It would’ve been hard for me to pick, too. How could Joan be put in such a situation that she had to choose between her first love—the love lost, the what ifs—and the love she built her life with. First loves always have that huge impact on you and always seem so perfect and beautiful even when they end in tragedy like Joan’s. But loves who you spend a lifetime with? How do you just forget about all of those memories? The foundation you built together? The hard times you shared and overcame? Dang, the romance was just built up so well and the actors and actress had a huge role in that. But seriously, if you’ve truly, deeply loved more than one person in life, who would you choose when it came down to it??

Alright, now for the bad part. I seriously disliked the simplistic view of the afterlife. No difference in eternity for good vs. evil? Hangovers are still a thing? You only get to choose ONE place for your entire eternity? None of this sounds like heaven to me. You literally can’t even visit your lost loved ones. While it worked for the movie’s plot, it did not work for me. There were literal shops all up and down the in-between trying to sell you their eternity. There were even commercials on the television. It seemed a little insane to me and so disappointing if I were to die and end up there. What’s the point of building the life you love, making friends, having a family, if you never truly get to see them again when you die? What would be the point of being good if it didn’t even matter in the end? I guess these questions are why I’m not an atheist….

Spoilers ahead.

For a second there, I really thought she’d end up with Luke. While if she was truly happy, I wouldn’t have been that upset, but it felt like the wrong choice to me. I mean, Larry?? The old man bickering, the loving teasing, the LITERAL sacrifice of his happiness to let her know that her hair is what tipped him off to the happiest time in her life. C’mon. You can’t beat that emotional moment when he finally lets Joan go. But that was the thing: she was happiest at that time in her life because she had never known grief, loneliness, and loss. It was a first love, just like she said, and gosh dang was it poetic and beautiful that Larry became the bartender and Joan went to find him. The only thing I wish we would have seen more of was their daring escape to an afterlife after Joan technically became a fugitive. All-in-all, though? A beautiful, wonderful ending that makes me think of my own husband and the connection we have. 

Overall, this movie was funny, charming, and a little too… simplistic of an idea of an afterlife for me. I think eternity is going to be a lot more complex, but the whole idea that the writers went with was pretty interesting if not too commercial for my tastes. The romance, though? Top tier. A solid movie to keep you entertained for its entirety. 

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