Elizabeth Olsen, Movie, Elizabeth Olsen in Eternity [Image Source: YIMG]
Elizabeth Olsen in Eternity takes on an unexpected tone as the new film arrives in theaters, blending themes of mortality with sharp satire about contemporary culture. Directed by David Freyne, the movie places Olsen in the role of Joan, navigating both lost love and the absurdity of a capitalist afterlife, offering viewers both humor and a reflection on what truly matters.
A New Comedy Tackles Life, Death, and the Marketplace Beyond
In Eternity, Elizabeth Olsen portrays Joan, a woman recently widowed after her husband Larry, played by Miles Teller, dies in a bizarre pretzel accident. The story takes a unique twist as Joan is reunited with Larry at Afterlife Junction, a metaphysical waystation for the recently deceased. Here, the afterlife is anything but somber — it’s packed with choice, sales pitches, and even echoes of modern consumerism. Joan’s dilemma complicates when her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died decades earlier fighting in Korea, is among those waiting, forcing Joan to choose between two significant loves from different periods of her life.
The film leans heavily on comedy, with standout performances from Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early adding to the wit and energy of the ensemble cast. Elizabeth Olsen’s interest was particularly drawn to the screenplay’s humor, as she explained to TheWrap:
Image of: Elizabeth Olsen
“The cleverness of the humor was something I really loved,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
“It felt like a timeless story that could have been made — especially told in this kind of screwball comedy way — that could have been told within many different generations. But I do think David created such contemporary humor.”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
Satirizing the Afterlife as a Capitalist Playground
One of the most distinctive aspects of Eternity is how it turns the idea of heaven into a parody of modern life, underscoring how driven by consumerism society has become. Within the film, the lobby of the afterlife station overflows with salespeople, representing not angels but agents pushing an endless menu of eternal options, from tranquil beach existences to exclusive male-free realms. As Olsen notes, the afterlife depicted in the movie reflects very much where modern culture is, turning spirituality into just another marketplace experience:
“Even the afterlife itself felt incredibly contemporary and reflective of where we are as a culture today, where we are just consumers in a capitalist world,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
“And the fact that the afterlife is not meeting your Creator or having some sort of spiritual awakening, that it truly is just more consumerism and sell, sell, sell — I just found [it] to be a very funny reflection of who our modern day God is.”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
Olsen’s On-Screen Journey with Mortality and Love
While death is a recurring element in many of Elizabeth Olsen’s recent projects, she clarified that its prevalence in her work is perhaps less a conscious choice and more a reflection of storytelling itself. As she described, so many narratives are rooted in high stakes and mortality:
“I think most things are about death and dying in storytelling, a lot of it is at least,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
“We try and tell stories with high stakes, and often stakes are created by our mortality, I think.”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
However, Eternity shifts the focus away from death itself, zeroing in on themes of love, both lost and unexpectedly regained. Olsen sees her role not as a repetition of old patterns, but as a continuation of emotionally resonant storytelling, starting from series like Sorry for Your Loss, through her journey as Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and into roles such as in His Three Daughters. Regarding those connections, Olsen said:
“With ‘Sorry for Your Loss,’ that was kind of the first, in a way. Whereas, all of the Scarlet Witch’s journey has just has been a very large evolution, so I don’t think of it as just one thing. It’s also about being a mother, which is more about creation,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
Looking at her work in His Three Daughters, Olsen also recognized the emotional preparation such films offer, for both performers and audiences:
“And then ‘His Three Daughters’ was really, to me — like you’ve said, this movie is not so much about death, it’s more about the infinite eternity — but I guess with [director Azazel Jacobs] is, as his friend, it was really kind of also like helping him prep himself for what was going to happen in some way with his parents.”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
Still, Olsen believes it is her Marvel character Wanda’s arc that continues to shape how audiences connect her work with themes of loss and resurrection:
“But the whole arc of the Scarlet Witch, to me, is more than just that,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
Redefining Herself Through Comedy and Life’s Simple Joys
The experience of portraying Joan in Eternity was, for Olsen, not only a chance to inhabit an older character but also an opportunity to express different dimensions of humor and companionship. She described finding the role’s joy in the authenticity and comfort of long-term relationships, especially through the dynamic with Larry:
“I do think there’s bite to her, though,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
“And her sense of humor, I think with Larry specifically, there is a — I think that the joy I had in portraying that relationship between Miles and I was kind of the intimacy that comes with that kind of bickering and the comfort you have with someone to not hold back exactly who you are, and how you feel, and your opinions about everything.”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
The film ultimately brings Joan to a surprisingly simple and comforting version of eternity beside her chosen partner. Olsen pointed out the irony that this setting mirrors — in a gentle way — settings like Westview in the MCU, which she found amusing. More importantly, the film’s fictional afterlife, with its bureaucratic and commercial excesses, makes space to reflect on the true weight of everyday relationships:
“I think the reason why, going back to this backdrop of the afterlife being this capitalist, consumerism, bureaucratic hell, it allows you to actually just focus on this simplicity, and the gravity, at the same time, of the relationships that we build in this world in a very mundane, banal way,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
The Lasting Value in the Ordinary and the Familiar
According to Olsen, Eternity reassures audiences that comfort and fulfillment lie not in grand gestures or newness but in the sustained, evolving nature of long relationships. She elaborated on what long-term companionship means, sharing:
“It doesn’t maybe sound the most exciting to be with someone for, you know, 20 years or 25 years, maybe nothing new seems like it comes of it, but I think every time you’re with someone for another year is actually something new. What we don’t know is what it would feel like to be with someone for that long,”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
“Who we become in our lives is directly informed by the people who are closest to us. And so I found it to be really comforting and a really sweet reflection on what is actually important.”
Elizabeth Olsen, Actress.
Now showing in theaters, Eternity offers a fresh comedic outlook on themes of love, loss, and the modern world, proving once again that Elizabeth Olsen in Eternity delivers both laughter and thoughtful introspection in equal measure.
