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Eternity

Name: Eternity - Christian Parent's Review
Item: Eternity
Rating: 1
Author: StoryScanner

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General Review

Parent's Guide to Eternity

Eternity (2025) is a fantasy romantic comedy that explores the complex dynamics of love and choice in the afterlife. The film centers on Joan, an elderly woman who, upon her death, finds herself in a unique afterlife realm where souls have a week to decide their eternal destination and companion. She is unexpectedly reunited with both her recently deceased husband, Larry, and her first love, Luke, who died decades earlier in the Korean War. This reunion forces Joan to confront profound questions about her past relationships and who she truly desires to spend eternity with. The movie blends humor with emotional depth, presenting a fantastical yet relatable exploration of commitment, happiness, and different forms of love. It is targeted at mature audiences, primarily teens and adults, due to its thematic content and some mature elements.

Things to Consider

High3

LGBTQ & Gender Identity

The film explicitly features themes and representations related to LGBTQ+ identities and gender fluidity within its depiction of the afterlife. Characters are presented with various 'themed worlds' to choose from for their eternity, including a 'Queer World' and a 'Man-Free World'. There are also specific mentions of characters' sexual orientations and past experiences.

The afterlife in 'Eternity' offers themed choices such as a 'Queer World' and 'Man-Free World,' which are presented as legitimate options for individuals to spend their eternity. Additionally, the film includes a character whose 'status as a closeted lesbian and a past lesbian fling' is mentioned, indicating explicit LGBTQ+ character details. The movie also mentions 'a man's sexual escapades including experimentation with gay sex' without explicit details, further highlighting the presence of LGBTQ+ themes.

Romance and Sexual Content

Eternity features significant romantic and sexual content consistent with its PG-13 rating. This includes kissing, implied sexual activity, suggestive dialogue, and discussions of sexual topics and functionality in the afterlife.

The MPAA rated the film PG-13 for sexual content. Specific examples include 'scenes of a man and woman kissing' and a 'dimly lit marital sex-scene from the shoulders up with some panting and thrusting'. Furthermore, a scene shows 'a couple have sex below screen: her clothed hips are briefly seen on the bottom of the screen'. Deceased men in the afterlife are 'pleased to learn that their genitals are functional,' and there are discussions about porn with brief images of bikini-clad women, as well as mentions of 'a man's sexual escapades including experimentation with gay sex and BDSM but with no explicit detail'.

Anti-Christian Themes

Eternity presents a concept of the afterlife that is fundamentally at odds with traditional Christian teachings. It lacks any Christian theological framework, offering instead a secular, choice-based eternity that implicitly or explicitly dismisses core Christian doctrines such as repentance, salvation through Christ, and divine judgment.

The film's depiction of the afterlife involves individuals choosing their own 'paradise' (e.g., 'Queer World', 'Man-Free World', 'Wine World', 'Smokers World') based on personal desires, with 'no call to repentance, no cross, no resurrection'. This directly contradicts biblical teachings on heaven, hell, and the path to eternal life through Christ. One review states that the film 'holds a cynical and dismissive view of faith,' exemplified by a character asking about the afterlife and receiving the unhelpful response: 'You do you'. Critics argue that the movie 'perverts biblical truth' and normalizes concepts considered 'contrary to nature' from a Christian standpoint, such as polyamory and non-traditional gender identities.

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Medium4

ViolenceProfanityScary & Intense ContentDisrespect & Rebellion

Low2

Witchcraft & OccultSubstance Use

Medium4

Violence

The film contains mild depictions of violence, primarily related to deaths that occur off-screen or in non-graphic ways, along with some physical altercations and discussions of past violent events. There is no graphic gore or intense combat.

Violence is generally understated, with a man (Larry) dying off-screen after choking on a pretzel, and a brief deathbed scene for an elderly woman. There are instances of physical altercations, such as 'two men repeatedly tussle with each other, with some shoving and hitting'. A child describes a 'painful death in a hit and run accident but without detail', and there's a mention of Joan's first husband, Luke, dying in the Korean War.

Profanity

The movie includes a moderate amount of profanity, which is noted in its PG-13 rating descriptors. The language used is generally mild to moderate, featuring common curse words and some snarky insults rather than strong expletives or slurs.

Scary & Intense Content

The film is not primarily a scary or horror movie, with its tone leaning towards romantic comedy. However, it deals with the inherently intense subject of death and loss, which could be emotionally impactful for some viewers, despite being handled playfully.

While generally not scary, the film's central plot revolves around death, the afterlife, and the emotional weight of choosing between deceased loved ones. One scene involves a child describing 'his painful death in a hit and run accident', though without graphic details. The emotional intensity stems from Joan's difficult choice between Larry and Luke, which creates significant dramatic tension and emotional depth for the characters.

Disrespect & Rebellion

The film features elements of disrespect through character interactions, including bickering and snarky remarks. More significantly, its core premise of choosing between spouses in the afterlife and a character's 'waffling' on traditional fidelity could be interpreted as a rebellion against marital norms from a conservative Christian perspective.

Characters Joan and Larry are depicted as an 'argumentative elderly couple' whose bickering is part of their long-standing relationship dynamics. There are also 'snarky insults between rival love interests' (Larry and Luke). From a Christian perspective, the film's premise where Joan can choose between her two deceased husbands and the portrayal of her 'waffling' as empowerment, along with critiques of it 'teasing polyamory' and 'mocking monogamy', could be seen as rebellious against traditional marital fidelity and covenant.

Low2

Witchcraft & Occult

The film's depiction of the afterlife is presented as a bureaucratic and choice-driven system of 'themed worlds' rather than involving traditional witchcraft, occult practices, or demonic elements. The 'afterlife' concept itself is fantastical but not rooted in traditional occult imagery or rituals.

The afterlife in 'Eternity' is portrayed as 'the Junction,' a place where individuals choose their eternal 'world' with the help of 'Afterlife Coordinators'. There are no mentions or depictions of spells, magic rituals, sorcery, demons, or other traditional occult themes. The fantastical elements are limited to the bureaucratic system of the afterlife rather than mystical or supernatural practices.

Substance Use

Substance use in the film is minimal and typically shown in the background. There are no depictions of illegal drug use or glorification of substance abuse, though a unique afterlife option related to smoking is presented.

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Eternity (2025) presents a highly imaginative yet secular vision of the afterlife that, from a Christian worldview, contains significant divergences from biblical teachings. Core themes revolve around personal choice, romantic love, and self-fulfillment as the ultimate arbiters of one's eternal destination. The film's central premise—a bureaucratic afterlife where souls choose their 'Eternity' and companion from various themed options—directly contradicts the Christian understanding of a heaven and hell based on God's judgment and grace, not individual preference or romantic attachment. The movie explores the meaning of love by contrasting an idealized past relationship with a long-term marriage, implicitly suggesting that a lifelong commitment made on Earth can be reconsidered or superseded in the afterlife, which challenges the biblical sanctity and permanence of the marriage covenant. Moral accountability for earthly actions appears absent, as the system allows everyone to choose their eternity, even those deemed 'problematic,' indicating a relativistic moral framework where personal satisfaction trumps virtue or vice. The narrative focuses on resolving individual emotional baggage and seeking personal happiness, rather than themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, or redemption in a theological sense. The worldview presented in Eternity (2025) leans heavily towards relativism and a form of self-determined, almost materialistic, post-life existence. Life's meaning seems primarily centered on romantic fulfillment and personal choice, rather than a transcendent purpose ordained by God. The depiction of the afterlife is entirely devoid of God's presence, with 'afterlife coordinators' managing a system that functions like customizable retirement communities or travel destinations. Critically, the film handles faith representation in a manner that may be concerning to Christian parents. Reviewers note that questions about God, heaven, or hell are met with 'derisive eye rolls' by afterlife personnel, suggesting a negative or dismissive portrayal of Judeo-Christian beliefs. This challenges the notion of a divinely ordered cosmos and can implicitly undermine faith as a meaningful guide for life and eternity. For Christian parents, understanding this movie's distinct departure from biblical theology regarding the afterlife, marriage, and divine authority is crucial. While the film may be entertaining and provoke discussions about love and relationships, its underlying messages about eternal choices and the nature of commitment are at odds with foundational Christian doctrines. It effectively promotes an individualized, human-centric view of eternity where personal desires dictate one's ultimate fate, rather than an eternal reality established by a sovereign God and entered through faith and grace.

Additional Context

Best For Ages

Eternity (2025) is recommended for viewers aged 14 and older. The film holds an MPAA rating of PG-13, primarily due to sexual content and some strong language. While it is a romantic comedy, its exploration of complex emotional themes surrounding death, love triangles, and afterlife choices may be too mature for younger adolescents. Additionally, the movie contains implied sexual encounters, suggestive dialogue, and a depiction of an afterlife that diverges significantly from traditional Christian theological views, which could be challenging for younger viewers to process without parental guidance.

Good to Know

Parents should be aware that the film's central premise regarding the afterlife is a fantasy concept that does not align with Christian theological views, and this divergence is a prominent theme throughout the narrative. Discussions around the film's portrayal of love, marriage, and personal choices in the afterlife may require significant parental guidance for younger or impressionable viewers. The director, David Freyne, has stated an intention to explore 'all the different types of loves there are,' which contributes to the diverse and sometimes non-traditional relationship dynamics portrayed.

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