Eternity ending explained: Why did Larry want Joan to be with Luke?

In the A24 fantasy rom-com Eternity, recently deceased Joan faces an impossible afterlife choice. She either has to spend forever with Larry, her loyal husband of 65 years played by Miles Teller, or Luke, her dashing first love killed in the Korean War, portrayed by Callum Turner. 

At its core, Eternity probes love's forms: fiery youth versus steady endurance. But why did Larry want Joan to be with Luke?- the ending hinges on Larry's selfless act.

Spotting Joan's youthful appearance in the afterlife, he realises it echoes her happiest days with Luke, and not their marriage.

Fearing she harbours lifelong regrets, Larry urges her toward that lost life, saying, "Knowing you're happy makes me happy."

It's a gut-punch of sacrifice that frees Joan from any obligation. 

Directed by David Freyne and co-written with Pat Cunnane, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025, and opened in U.S. theatres on November 26, 2025.

Elizabeth Olsen shines as Joan, a widow battling cancer who dies soon after Larry chokes on a pretzel at a family party. 

The Afterlife Junction, a bustling way station, forces souls to pick an eternal companion and paradise within seven days.

There can be no reversals or as punishment, they will have to face the void with no companion, just black nothingness. 

Joan arrives in her happiest-age form, long-haired and vibrant from her youth with Luke. Larry, ever the gruff everyman, pitches a familiar beach suburb.

Luke offers a romantic mountain retreat. Supporting cast Da'Vine Joy Randolph and John Early steal scenes as afterlife coordinators Anna and Ryan, while Olga Merediz grounds the story as Joan's friend Karen.

Eternity ending explained: Joan decides to be with Larry in the afterlife

Larry dies first, fumbling into the Junction's exhibition hall amid sales pitches for "Smokers' World" and "Yacht Life." Assigned Anna, he delays choosing, awaiting Joan.

She arrives days later, in her youthful days of 20s-30s. Luke, bartending in limbo after 67 years' wait, rushes her with open arms, their two-year marriage cut short by Luke’s death in the Korean War.

Coordinators explain Joan's unique dilemma: unpaired souls like Luke need her selection. She tours options via a rule-bending visa.

With Luke, Mountain World dazzles with cabins, hikes, and starlit dances, rekindling pre-war passion.

Larry counters with Beach World, filled with barbecues, ocean breezes, and their kids' echoes in a crowd.

Bickering ensues, but the men bond over beers.

Tensions rise as the men compete awkwardly with Luke's poetry versus Larry's blunt familiarity. Joan tests eternities with each, using a special visa for previews.

With Luke, it's exhilarating but static and frozen in what-ifs.

 With Larry, it's comforting yet familiar, marked by bickering and shared history.

Her friend Karen, already settled in Paris 1960s, urges Joan to ditch the drama for independence.

Joan decides she will choose herself, and this decision breaks Luke and Larry’s hearts, but they accept.

Overwhelmed, Joan briefly picks neither, boarding a train to Paris with Karen for a fresh start. Larry chases her to the platform, spotting a clue.

Joan's afterlife form with long-haired, vibrant youth mirrors her time with Luke and not their marriage.

He realises she never fully grieved that lost life. "Knowing you're happy makes me happy," he says, pushing her toward Luke despite his own ache. It's pure selflessness, an act of unconditional love.

Joan enters Mountain World with Luke, but cracks form fast. The passion fades into routine; she misses Larry's quirks, like knowing her coffee order or enduring her moods.

Sneaking visits to the Archives theatre, screening her life's highlights while she replays joyful fights and quiet intimacies with Larry.

Luke notices her distance, hurt but understanding.

Desperate, Joan plots an escape. She confronts Fenwick, the archivist, with a makeshift knife for keys to a forbidden red door.

Luke distracts him with a heartfelt plea about lost chances.

Joan dives into a memory tunnel: wedding vows with Luke morph into arguments with Larry and police chase her through bad moments.

She emerges in their old basement, hearing echoes of fights, then hides under her deathbed as elderly Joan whispers, "Larry."

Back at the Junction, coordinators Anna and Ryan shield her from enforcers. Larry, who'd chosen limbo bartending over an eternity, reunites with her.

He agrees to risk the void for a discontinued eternity, a plain suburb echoing Oakdale.

They walk arm-in-arm into it, Larry quipping that it feels just right. Joan finally chooses the life she built, not the one she dreamed.

Watch Eternity in theatres nationwide via A24. Digital rentals launch December 17, 2025,on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.

It streams on Max starting January 2026. 

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