Take two on love, loss and unusual choices

Two upcoming Hollywood films opening next week turn to unconventional journeys of self-discovery, with one imagining the afterlife as a place of emotional reckoning and the other diving into Japan's unusual practice of hiring temporary relatives to fill personal gaps.

Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller lead A24's 'Eternity', a blend of comedy, romance and existential reflection that follows people returning to the age at which they were happiest and given one week to decide their final destination in the afterlife.

Olsen and Teller portray Joan and Larry Cutler, an older married couple stunned to encounter Joan's first husband Luke, played by Callum Turner, who died in the Korean War and has been waiting for her, forcing Joan to confront love, memory and the meaning of eternity.

Olsen said the story balances humour with genuine emotion, prompting audiences to consider the people they have lost and the relationships that shaped them, while Teller described his character's unexpected love triangle as a smart way to explore mortality.

Director David Freyne imagines a surreal afterlife offering new arrivals endless themed worlds, from Beach World to Infantilisation World, overseen by coordinators played by Da'Vine Joy Randolph and John Early, stressing that the film's core lies in reflecting on what truly makes people happy.

Opening just days earlier is Brendan Fraser's comedy-drama 'Rental Family', which explores Japan's little-known industry of hiring actors to pose as relatives, friends or companions, revealing how performance, loneliness and social pressure intersect in modern urban life.

Fraser plays Phillip Vandarploeug, the only foreign actor in a rental family agency, recruited to act as a young girl's father so she can enter an elite school, even as he juggles assignments as husbands, fathers, journalists and emotional stand-ins.

Fraser said he discovered the practice dates back to the 1980s, describing the film as a reflection on mental health challenges often left unspoken in Japan, adding that he relied on translation tools during filming and endured several light-hearted language mishaps.

Co-star Mari Yamamoto said audiences at the Tokyo Film Festival reacted with soft laughter and quiet sniffling, a sign she viewed as strong approval, noting that Japanese viewers express praise subtly rather than loudly at screenings or concerts.

'Eternity' opens in theatres on 26 November, while 'Rental Family', distributed by Searchlight Pictures, arrives on 21 November, offering audiences two very different but equally introspective takes on connection, choice and the emotional landscapes people carry through life.