In Matthew’s Gospel, the Sadducees famously tried to catch Christ out by proposing, “If a woman had seven husbands, who died one after the other, which man would she be married to in Heaven?”
Jesus replied, “At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”
That’s the Bible’s answer, but what if the wife really did have to make that decision in the afterlife?
It turns out that it would create all sorts of problems, which make a great setting for the fantastic new rom-com, Eternity.
Miles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen star as Larry and Joan, an elderly married couple of 50 years who die within a week of each other. Finding themselves at “the Hub”, now at the younger ages they were most happiest at in life, they’re each assigned an Afterlife Coordinator to help decide which eternity they’d like to live out forever. Each one has a different theme, from the Beach and Mountains to Clown World and Weimar World (now with no Nazis). Once you’ve decided and leave the Hub, you can never leave that eternity. Any attempt to do so results in being cast into the “Void.” The only problem is, Joan’s first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died in the Korean War, has been waiting seven decades in the Hub for his wife. And so she’s left with the awful predicament of choosing eternity with the handsome soldier of her passionate youth, or her husband of 50 years, with whom she had kids and grandchildren.
Eternity is first and foremost a light comedy, very much in the vein of one from the 1990s. Aside from the premise creating that ‘uh-oh’ sitcom-style setting, much of the humour comes from the trio’s Afterlife Coordinators, led by Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Anna, guiding them through this eccentric reality. If anything, Eternity feels like a live-action Pixar movie for adults, with laughter layered over relatable tears and questions of what true love really is. The outcome of the dilemma will keep you guessing until the end. But you’ll leave with a smile on your face, a tear in your eye and a heart warmed by more than the usual sentimentality. More original concept films like this, please. It used to be a staple for Hollywood, so here’s hoping this is the new norm.
Eternity is released in UK cinemas on December 5, 2025.
