POPCORN REVIEWSS

Written by David Freyne and Pat Cunnane, Eternity works on the high concept of afterlife, particularly with the setting of the drama in the afterlife. You are as enamoured and anxious as Larry even while you silently witness him arriving in a train at the AfterLife junction – a temporary junction of sorts that allows you to station for a week (barring a few exceptions) before the choice of an ‘eternity’ marks your existence into the astral. It is the kind of a forever-after wherein you get to choose your eternity (from a variety of options like beaches, Paris, mountains, queer) without the provision to reverse it, even while allowing you to physically appear as the happiest version of you based on the life that you have lived. It is all glittery, but for Larry it is complex – of having to wait for his better-half Joan’s (Elizabeth Olsen) arrival, only for a twist in the form of Joan’s former husband Luke (Callum Turner) also awaiting her for 67 years at the same place in the afterlife. In other words, this is a love-triangle worth dying for.

The writers here take the tried and tested trope of a love triangle, only to turn it on its head even while playing around with the different personalities of the characters here. For instance, Larry remains a typical average Joe who has a deep affection for Joan, even while having lost the ability to express his love for her. As a result, he does come across as an indifferent partner with a core trait of exchanges in the form of banter – his latest core memory with Joan during the last leg of his life. Luke on the other hand is more charming and hungry for love, particularly given the fact that his life was cruelly cut short after being martryed in a war, invariably having to separate from Joan who then did go onto to marry Larry. You see him working as a bartender in the afterlife, silently hoping for a happily ever after for over 60 years in hope that he would eventually be able to spend the rest of his eternity with Joan.

In the same breath, Joan remains a conflicted character right from the start. By the end of her life on earth, she had spent more than 60 years with Larry while witnessing her share of ups and downs. But deep down within, you notice a sense of grief or a longing, of the what-ifs of her life with Luke, if he were to be alive. The idea of a steamy affair in the mountains with Luke is something that Joan has always longed for, as opposed to the idea of crowded beaches that Larry has to offer. For Joan, it remains a divided call – on whether to explore the unpredictability of life that was cut short with Luke, or the tried and tested formula of life with Larry. And all of it is presented as a light-hearted comedy that invariably makes you invested in the characters as well.

Some of the other characters also contribute to the light-hearted ambience of the drama. Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) remains the Afterlife Coordinator (AC) of Larry, who silently doubles up as his cupid too, suggesting him ways ro woo Joan again – in a bid to have them settle in an eternity of their own. Likewise, Ryan (John Early), the AC of Luke (and Joan) has a similar affinity for them, even as Luke and Larry are pitted against each other almost like two fierce opponents fighting for the coveted trophy. And yet, the emotional hinge of the story relies on the life that Joan has shared with the two men of her life – both unfolding at critical junctures in her life – that is presented in the form of fragments that potentially takes you on a trip of nostalgia with Joan. You witness the varied degrees of warmth from both the men even as Joan witnesses a tragedy followed by bouts of miracle at different stages in her life. It is the one for fairy tales that laces the imagination here, even as the POV generally stays with Joan. And there is a hint of The Eternal Sunshine Of A Spotless Mind (2004) too if you look at the proceedings closely.

There is a hint of a cliche when the drama slightly goes into an overdrive when the game if one-upmanship transition into a bout of realisation and sacrifice. But even then, the emotional core of the drama is intact even when you trace the new eternity of Joan with the man of her choice. Ironically, this little phase coincides with the idea of a relationship in general, on how things are all hunky-dory at the start but the slope is progressively steep downwards. Ultimately, it all boils down to companionship that would ensure smooth sailing, something that triggers a sense of realisation followed by a convenient but emotionally palpable finale here. One main reason that the finale worked despite the writing being a tad convenient was because you are always emotionally connected with all the characters. And that quite honestly sums up the screenplay here that deconstructs a tried and tested dynamic while clubbing it with a high-concept drama that has you rooting for its characters and culminating into a beautiful happily-ever-after. Ahhh the beauty of cinema!