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Eternity Opens in Theaters as Filmmakers Clarify Afterlife Rules and Character Focus

Director David Freyne says the script evolved to make Joan’s final choice her own.

Overview

  • A24’s afterlife romantic comedy places Joan in a bureaucratic way station called the Junction, where the newly deceased get one week to pick a themed eternity and decide whom to spend it with.
  • Freyne tells Entertainment Weekly that earlier drafts centered the climactic action on Larry before revisions ensured the decisive moment belonged to Joan.
  • Polygon reports that a detailed scientific backstory—featuring an ARC protein and a memory-linked virus—was developed but largely cut to preserve pace and clarity.
  • The cast discusses themes of memory, identity, and long-term love, with Elizabeth Olsen calling the film’s consumerist afterlife setting a timely satire and Callum Turner reflecting on his rom-com experience and future projects.
  • Early reviews commend the performances, mid-century production design, and inventive worldbuilding, while some note tonal unevenness and a occasionally thin script.