A24 just lit the afterlife on fire.
This morning, the acclaimed indie studio debuted the first official trailer for Eternity, a high-concept romantic comedy set in the great beyond, starring Elizabeth Olsen (His Three Daughters), Miles Teller (The Gorge), and Callum Turner (Masters of the Air). The film, directed by Dating Amber‘s David Freyne, will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September before hitting theaters in November, and it’s already shaping up to be one of A24’s most buzzed-about releases this year.
A Love Triangle That Transcends Death
The premise? Simple in theory. Chaotic in execution.
In Eternity, when people die, they aren’t immediately whisked away to Heaven or Hell. Instead, they’re given one week, seven ethereal days, to decide where, and more importantly with whom, they want to spend forever. And for Joan (Olsen), death is only the beginning of her problems.
Freshly deceased, she finds herself reuniting with her recently dead husband Larry (Teller), the man she built a life with. But the cosmic curveball comes in the form of Luke (Turner), her long-lost first love who died tragically young and has spent decades in the afterlife waiting for her. Joan now faces the impossible: choose the comfortable love she knew or the soul she never got the chance to grow old with.
“A lot has happened in a week,” Joan sighs in the trailer. “You died. I died. I’ve just been reunited with both of my dead husbands, and I have to pick where to spend eternity.”
The trailer wastes no time diving into the romantic tug-of-war, teasing everything from heaven-adjacent group therapy sessions to surreal bureaucratic afterlife limbo, complete with clipboards and snarky guides. It’s “The Good Place meets The Notebook” with a twist of existential chaos.
A Dream Team Behind and In Front of the Camera
Eternity boasts a powerhouse team both on screen and behind the scenes.
Elizabeth Olsen leads the cast with the charm and vulnerability she’s become synonymous with, bringing unexpected warmth and comedic timing to a character teetering between heartbreak and hope. In a recent interview with Extra, Olsen hinted at the film’s old-school rom-com roots: “It’s real fun. It’s a callback to Billy Wilder films. I think it’s gonna be a special romantic comedy that we’re all really proud of.”
Miles Teller, fresh off Top Gun: Maverick and Apple TV+’s The Gorge, brings his signature swagger and depth as Larry, the solid husband Joan built her life with. Meanwhile, Callum Turner delivers as the hauntingly tender Luke, whose wartime death robbed both of them of a future. Rounding out the ensemble are John Early, In the Heights‘ Olga Merediz, and Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), who’s fast becoming the comedic scene-stealer of the moment.
Behind the camera, director David Freyne is no stranger to heartfelt stories in unlikely circumstances. After his acclaimed 2020 LGBTQ+ rom-com Dating Amber, Freyne returns to the genre with an otherworldly twist. He also co-wrote the film with Pat Cunnane, a former Designated Survivor writer, whose original script appeared on the 2022 Black List, Hollywood’s annual roll call of the best unproduced screenplays.
Producers Tim White and Trevor White, best known for Oscar-nominated titles like King Richard, are on board under their Star Thrower Entertainment banner. And with A24’s Midas touch, Eternity has all the ingredients of a festival darling and awards-season sleeper.
A24’s Hot Streak Continues
A24 is having a year, and Eternity is the latest jewel in its halo.
The studio’s romantic gamble follows the success of Materialists, Celine Song’s follow-up to Past Lives, which also featured a steamy love triangle, that one between Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. That film grossed over $52 million globally, setting a high bar for indie rom-coms and proving audiences still crave sharp, character-driven love stories with soul.
And A24 isn’t slowing down. Up next is Architecton (August 1), Viktor Kossakovsky’s documentary on Berlin architecture. Then comes Highest 2 Lowest from Spike Lee starring Denzel Washington and Ne Zha 2 (August 22). October brings The Smashing Machine with Dwayne Johnson, directed by Benny Safdie, followed by Marty Supremestarring Timothée Chalamet on Christmas Day.
With Eternity, A24 is clearly betting that a story about love beyond death will resonate just as deeply as Song’s meditation on fate and timing.
TIFF, Then Eternity
Eternity is set to have its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from September 4 through 14. Early buzz suggests it could be one of the event’s emotional high points, especially as Olsen’s performance is poised to anchor one of the most complex, genre-blending romantic narratives in recent memory.
Can love that never had the chance to grow compete with a love that weathered decades of reality? Can two wildly different kinds of romance both be right? And if you had to choose just one person to spend eternity with, how would you know?
Those are the questions Eternity is asking, and if A24’s track record holds, it won’t be giving us easy answers.
Eternity opens in theaters this November. Watch the full trailer below.
