Shadows on the Wall

Eternity

dir David Freyne
scr Patrick Cunnane, David Freyne
prd Tim White, Trevor White
with Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, John Early, Olga Merediz, Betty Buckley, Barry Primus, Ryan Beil, Brandi Alexander, Panta Mosleh, Devielle Johnson
release US 26.Nov.25,
UK 12.Dec.25
25/US A24 1h52

TORONTO FILM FEST

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Packed with witty touches, this afterlife comedy depicts heaven as an amusing extension of Western capitalism, with ongoing pressure about the choices that need to be made. In this case, it's the pointed decision about who to spend eternity with. While director David Freyne and writer Patrick Cunnane lean into the goofier side of the fantastical premise, there are intriguingly serious things going on under the surface.

After his death, Larry (Teller) is ushered into the afterlife by coordinator Anna (Randolph), presented with myriad options of heavens he might want to live in. But he decides to wait for Joan (Olsen), his wife of 65 years. Then when she arrives, she discovers that her first husband, handsome fallen war hero Luke (Turner), is also waiting for her. Joan's coordinator Ryan (Early) tells her that she needs to choose who she wants to be with forever. Both Ryan and Anna see Luke as the sexier option. But Larry gave her children and grandkids.

In this hotel/train station limbo, endless eternal options are featured in a gigantic exposition hall and ubiquitous adverts. And you can only decide once, so there's a lot of pressure to get it right. While the dashing Luke died in his prime, Larry and Joan are enjoying being back in younger, healthy bodies. This reminds Joan of their decades together, but also highlights the chance to finally have her planned life with Luke. So she gets a special dispensation for a trial with each of them.

Performances have a brightly engaging charm that keeps us entertained, because the actors skilfully balance bright comedy with earthy emotion. At the centre, Olsen finds intriguing nuance in Joan's desire to please others, and now she's wondering if she should have the life she missed. From the start, the film's sensibilities seem to tilt toward Teller's nice-guy Larry, the guy who stuck around, rather than Turner's rather too-perfect Luke. Both actors are able to find layers in their characters, adding wrinkles to Joan's conundrum.

The scenario here is a relatively standard fantastical dilemma, so we instantly identify with the larger themes that are at play. Visiting a museum that displays memories adds a wave of pungent nostalgia. When it comes, Joan's decision isn't surprising, but it says something important about the nature of life. And where the story goes from there is both funny and moving, providing a thoughtful exploration of the power in every kind of love we experience.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 6.Nov.25

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