Éternité

As an artistic look at the seemingly idle rich (there are no visible means of support) that covers a century of interrelated lives in Paris, this movie is about as eye popingly gorgeous as it gets. Highly praised Vietnamese born director Tran Anh Hung and Cinematographer Mark Lee Bing, along with the director's wife, Tran Nu Yen Khe as art director and narrator (every so often there are surprise dialogue scenes) create a sumptuous, highly romanticized treat for the senses but offer little else in the way of a fully involving story or pace. If you like dreamy pastoral images, National Trust Properties and costumes, all set to beautiful classical piano music and song from the conveyed eras, then you won't mind the snail pace. From the numerous long shots (some that seem to serve little purpose) it looks somewhat like Editor Mario Battistel may have had most of his suggestions overruled...?

While wars come and go (unseen) taking with them some of the cream of this family's youth - their life at home is nothing short of curiously blissful. The difficulty of life and death struggles with common diseases of the day is harshly brought home in all its tragedy. Still, we follow these otherwise blessed families as they glide through the years up to a more modern era. Looking for something to slow you down (or help you sleep?) it's here in Eternity.

A family saga. Or rather an inventory of births and deaths of a family spawning close to 200 descendants in the present day. It really feels like a succession from the birth and death records, the movie is filled with narration, much more so than actual dialogue between the characters.

It also idealizes motherhood, pregnancy and matrimonial love to a point that becomes uncomfortable and difficult to swallow. These women have arranged marriages, but somehow are very lucky to find genuine love with their husbands. They also experience multiple pregnancies and miscarriages and children dying very young. This is why we need contraception people. But I'm sure this is not what Tran is trying to tell us. In fact I am not sure what he is trying to tell us at all. The only thing you can always be certain about with him is stunning cinematography. And yes, everything looks gorgeous, from the period sets, the interiors, the costumes, the hairstyles, the framing to that garden where whole generations of new children play and young love is born.

It also helps that despite a lot of women becoming widows there are no financial concerns whatsoever, so this is clearly an upper middle-class family with incoming revenues and a leisurely lifestyle, but surprisingly there is no nanny in sight. These women are perfect mothers able to devote themselves to up to 7 children a piece. Well, we've clearly regressed as women since then judging by these superhuman mothers here.

I adored this film. Such unhurried beauty..I felt my desire to slow into that unhurried pace of life. The cinematography was sumptuous, coupled with the director's desire to show the the beauty of 'mundane' activities, like collecting fresh eggs, or catching baby frogs. This film is the perfect Sunday afternoon film. Gentle, deep, meaningful and with a reverence for a mother's, wife's and friend's love. I bought it immediately after watching the rental.

The fabulous fate of three laying hens, their chicks and their descendants in the wealthy French bourgeoisie from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Beautiful actresses and beautiful images. But is it enough to make a movie? It lasts 2 hours but the first half hour already seems like an eternity. Wonderfully boring. If you really have nothing else to do, can help fall asleep but beware, the music is sometimes interrupted by baby crying ...

Eternity (French: Éternité) (2016) Director: Tran Anh Hung First Watched: 3/1/2025 6/10 Stars

An ode to life, death, and motherhood.

A sweet but intrusive narrator blurs tiny lives/three strong female generations.

Camera sings more depth than the story.

Lullabying soundtrack, bittersweet.

#Triquain #PoemReview The Triquain, created by Shelley A. Cephas, is a poem with several creative variences and can be a rhyming or non-rhyming verse. The simpliest form is a poem made up of 7 lines with 3, 6, 9, 12, 9, 6, and 3 syllables in this order. It is made to be written utilizing a center-aligned format.