"I'm always delighted when films across various sections of a film festival end up tackling the same ideas but in different genres. There was a trio of basement-themed thrillers ("Good Boy," "Bad Apples," and, of course, "The Man in My Basement") and no more than three films related to William Shakespeare's Hamlet (two of which starred Joe Alwyn). By exploring similar subject matter through different genres it allows audiences to be impacted in different ways by the same idea."
"Director Yaniv Raz's "Eternal Return" wasn't the only high-concept romance film exploring what happens to the love of our lives once they pass, but it's worth singling out as the only one that takes full advantage of Naomi Scott's singing abilities and her ability to imbue a soulful melancholy into any line delivery. This is an old school fantasy film that doesn't try to reshape the conventions of the genre it's a part of, and that isn't afraid to get saccharine to tug at the heartstrings. That works mainly in its favor as it's obvious that talent behind and in front of the camera understands why this genre can be so successful."
Festival programming repeatedly returned to similar themes across genres, with multiple films revisiting shared ideas such as basement-set thrillers and Hamlet adaptations. Eternal Return centers on Cass, grieving her partner Julian after a plane crash, and encountering cartographer Virgil and mentor Malcolm, who map emotional landmarks to reopen portals into significant past moments. The film leans into old-school fantasy conventions, embraces saccharine emotional beats, and showcases Naomi Scott's vocal and dramatic talents to convey soulful melancholy. The central conceit literalizes the role of place in memory and grief, allowing characters to re-experience formative events.
Read at Roger Ebert
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