SIFF 2024: 'Eternal' Capsule Review

In Eternal, a rift on the ocean floor threatens to destroy not only Earth’s climate but the burgeoning relationship between a young submarine pilot and aspiring singer. 

 

[Related Reading: 'Scala!!!' Movie Review]

 

Ulaa Salim’s film never quite balances the ecological and amorous threads, or drives home the stakes of either, and the middle act drifts too often, but the early going is achingly romantic and the end satisfies and moves. We all have lingering what-ifs, only we rarely have the opportunity to play them out. [Grade: B-]

 

(One addendum: Seriously, don’t kill a random dog for zero narrative reason two minutes into your movie. That’s a dick move.)

 

Find all our 2024 Seattle International Film Festival coverage here.