Eternity Information

Eternity is a 2013 sci-fi murder mystery set in the near future. It was directed by Alex Galvin and filmed in Wellington, Hong Kong and Hawke's Bay. The film cost about $NZ100,000 to make but has the production values of a large-budget feature.

Plot

Detective Richard Manning (played by Elliot Travers) is transported into a virtual-reality computer game and tasked with solving a seemingly implausible murder. The more Richard investigates, the more complex the case seems to become. He soon realizes his own future and survival depend on him solving everything - and quickly.

Influences and cinematography

The film is influenced by by Galvin's interest in classic murder mysteries and also many sci-fi film classics, such as Soylent Green and Omega Man to more modern interpretations such as The Matrix and Inception and explores perceptions of reality - hence the idea of a distinct world within a computer game.

In the film, the New Zealand scenes provide the empty, green, expansive, clean-aired world that by then no longer exists in reality, while the sensory explosion of the Hong Kong streetscape describes the polluted world of the future. The Wellington scenes utilize local buildings and interiors such as the Town Hall, Wellesley Hotel's spiral staircase, Parliamentary Library and the art deco Dominion Museum (now the Wellington campus of Massey University) along with Napier and Hastings art deco buildings.

Cast and crew

The film was directed by Alex Galvin (b. 1975 in Christchurch, New Zealand). This is his second feature film. His first was "When Night Falls" in 2007. He received his secondary education at St Patrick's College, Wellington and attended Victoria University of Wellington. He graduated Bachelor of Arts in linguistics and music history. He trained as an opera singer and has been a member of the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus since 1998. After working as a public servant, Galvin commenced study at the New Zealand Film School in 2003.

Apart from Elliot Travers, the film's actors also include Geraldine Brophy and Amy Usherwood.

Critical reception

The film has screened at several film festivals and won several awards. It had its World Premiere at the St Tropez Film Festival in October 2012 and its New Zealand Premiere at the Hastings Opera House in November 2012. In 2013, "Eternity" has won the Special Jury Prize at the California Film Awards.

The film was selected for screening at Cinema des Antipodes at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013. and was the only New Zealand Film to screen at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2013. In July 2013, it was nominated for four awards at the 2013 Madrid International Film Festival and won two prizes: Best Editing of a Feature Film and Best Supporting Actor for Ralph Johnson.