Elizabeth Olsen is using her latest film, the afterlife romantic comedy Eternity, to clarify why she has little interest in conventional, present-day romcoms. In a recent profile tied to the movie’s release, the actor said the project affirmed her sense of being an “old soul,” explaining that she feels distant from contemporary pop culture and from the social-media-driven dating worlds that shape many modern romances on screen.
In Eternity, directed by David Freyne, Olsen plays Joan, a woman who dies in old age and arrives in the afterlife in her younger body, where she must choose whom to spend eternity with: her first husband Luke or Larry, the man with whom she built a decades-long marriage. The film imagines a way-station called the Junction, part celestial bureaucracy and part amusement park, where guides played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early oversee Joan’s decision.
Olsen has said that what appealed to her was not a contemporary meet-cute but the chance to explore a lifelong relationship from an unusual angle, with a tone that nods to mid-20th-century romantic comedies rather than app-era dating stories. She has described herself as out of step with current trends and drawn instead to scripts that feel theatrical or slightly heightened, a preference that also shapes how she chooses projects after her high-profile stint in superhero films.
The film arrives after a festival run that included a world premiere at Toronto and a closing-night slot at the Chicago International Film Festival. Early critical response has highlighted its afterlife concept and its emphasis on a woman weighing passion against the stability of a long partnership, with some reviewers praising its throwback charm and others questioning how much space it gives to Joan’s independence outside those two choices.
Olsen’s co-stars have framed Eternity as part of a broader revival of character-driven romantic comedies. Miles Teller has said the film reminded him of the grounded, emotional romances of the 1980s and 1990s, while interviews with the filmmakers point to classic Hollywood influences and a desire to make a relationship story that still feels at home on the big screen.
Eternity, which also features Callum Turner, Randolph and Early, is scheduled for a wide theatrical release on November 26 via A24 after its festival circuit play.
