Eternity

"Eternity" - Review by Christina Wright

The promise of an eternal life is often imagined as paradise, yet Eternity proves that even the afterlife can be complicated—especially when love is involved. Transforming a classic love triangle into a profound meditation on loss, commitment, and self-realization, this charming film asks: When you have the chance to relive the perfect 'what-if' or honor the dedicated 'what-is,' what do you choose?

Joan Cutler has died and gone to heaven. And in the same holy spirit as the 1991 comedy film Defending Your Life, she travels by train to a purgatory-like town where she is given a hotel room as temporary lodging. She meets her Afterlife Consultant (AC for short, because yes,apparently abbreviations are still used in the afterlife) who helps the newly departed decide which themed eternity they should permanently choose. It is then that Joan discovers she must also decide who to spend eternity with: Luke, her first husband, who died a hero in the Korean War after only two years of marriage but who graciously put eternity on hold for 67 years shecould join him. Or Larry, her second husband, who gave her 65 years of devoted marriage but only had to wait a mere seven days for her arrival, having died just a week before she did.

Of course, the AC’s divulge up front that all three can, in fact, spend eternity together. But, the two men aren’t about to share their wife with one another now, are they? Oh, nope! So, they tellher she must choose. I mean…what’s a girl to do in that situation?

To help Joan decide, the AC’s allow her to go back and forth between her husbands each day with Luke romancing her in “Mountain World” and Larry reminiscing with her in “Beach World.” Throughout this confusing process, Joan reflects continually on her life circumstances. She sees Luke as the “perfect” lover she lost too soon, an idealized vision of what might have been. Contrarily, she sees Larry as the man who - well, was a bit of a complainer that she often fought with but - was a devoted partner who had been by her side for over six decades. This contrast helped Joan understand the two aspects of her own soul that had somehow been in conflict: the vibrant woman who longed for passionate romance and to be swept off her feet, and the grounded woman who desired a partner to weather the real-world currents of bills, mortgages, child-rearing, and the multitude of shared endeavors that truly define a life well-lived.

Greif and Sacrifice as Expressions of Love

The central theme of the narrative is Love, which is expressed through memorable lines such as, “Love is a bond greater than death” and “Love isn’t just one happy moment, it’s a million.” Crucially, the film also presents love through the lenses of grief and sacrifice. Joan has already navigated the grief of losing Luke, finding the strength and the will to move on with someone new. Now, she faces the agony of either losing him all over again or losing her life partner. However, with Larry’s encouragement, she finds the determination to break a lifelong pattern she had developed: constantly sacrificing her own wants and needs for the happiness of others. Her decision must finally be about herself, a realization captured in the difficult admission: “Sometimes doing the right thing does feel terrible.”

A Personal Note for Paul

I imagine you saw me weeping as I watched this film. Who would have thought that actor Callum Turner would be cast to play a character in heaven when he looks so much like you? It’s been eight and a half years since I lost you to cancer and I’ve carried you in my heart ever since then. Watching Joan reconnect with Luke brought back so many memories of our time together – going to the movies and stage plays, sitting around a campfire in the woods singing old folk songs, hanging out at San Franciso’s Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park late at night, having dinner and watching you eat what was left on my plate that I couldn’t finish. Sometimes I close my eyes and remember what how it felt, us holding each other that one last time and hearing your voice that one last time. Days go by but missing you never ends. I believe that eternity is big enough for all of us and I know that when it’s my time you’ll be there to greet me when I arrive. And we’ll be able to hold one another again. Until then you remain always with me.