We tend to think of “perfect” relationships as the ones without friction. The ones that just work, feel easy, and somehow stay untouched by time or tension.

But most relationships that actually last don’t look like that at all.

They’re shaped over time, refined through misunderstanding, and built slowly. They’re not preserved in some ideal version of themselves — not because they’ve settled for less, but because something deeper has taken root along the way.

This week, we’re looking at Eternity, a film set in the afterlife that brings that idea into focus. It asks what we’d choose if given the option between a love that was idealized and one that was formed.

In the newsletter, we’re also looking at a perspective from Christian comedian Michael Jr. that reframes something we usually try to avoid, especially in marriage: conflict.

Because sometimes the very thing we try to escape is the thing that’s forming something lasting.

Set in a stylized afterlife, Eternity follows a woman asked to choose between two loves from her past. Beneath its premise is a thoughtful idea: love is more than a feeling in a single moment. The film raises meaningful questions about marriage and what remains after a life spent committed to another person. Although its content and worldview won’t resonate with everyone, it still offers a reflective lens on what we carry with us when we love someone deeply.

WHERE TO WATCH →

What starts as a simple night off quickly turns into something else entirely, as a group of moms navigates the unpredictability of life, marriage, and expectations. While the film leans into humor, there’s something familiar underneath it all. It’s a reminder that lasting relationships aren’t built on perfect moments, but on showing up for each other again and again.

WHERE TO WATCH →

Eternity takes a high-concept idea — a love triangle in the afterlife — and uses it to ask a grounded question: What actually makes a relationship last?

Elizabeth Olsen plays Joan, a woman given a choice between two loves. There’s Luke (Callum Turner), her first love, charming and unchanged after decades of waiting. And there’s Larry (Miles Teller), the husband she built a life with, steady and shaped by years of shared experience.

It may sound like a choice between two people, but it’s really a choice between two kinds of love. One that was idealized. One that was formed.

While Eternity imagines the afterlife in ways that aren’t meant to be taken literally, it uses that setting to explore something real. As one review notes, it becomes a way of asking what it means to choose love beyond feeling or nostalgia.

In the film, Luke represents the kind of love we tend to romanticize, untouched by conflict. Larry represents something else — a relationship shaped over time by compromise, forgiveness, and growth.

The film’s tension echoes something we don’t often say out loud: the relationships that last aren’t the ones that avoid conflict. They’re the ones shaped by it.

Or, as another perspective puts it, it’s the difference between love that is imagined and love that is lived.

The results are in! 50% of you voted for The underdog leading in last week’s poll: Which type of movie character do you root for most?

With Eyre Films set to screen the completed short film “Pray v Prey” on June 1, 2026, we’re looking to build out an evening of short films that align with the Plumb Tales vision — stories that pursue True Vertical.

If you have a short film that fits that spirit, we’d love to see it!

You can revisit past issues of Plumb News for context, then reply to this email or send your submission to [email protected].

In the meantime, “Pray v Prey” is building toward its next phase. If you’d like to support the project, you can reserve a frame at PreyforMason.com. Each frame doubles as a ticket to upcoming online screenings with the cast and crew.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” — James 1:2-3 (ESV)

Most of us don’t naturally see conflict that way, especially in our closest relationships. In marriage, conflict can feel like something is breaking down or like something to avoid and move past as quickly as possible.

But this verse points to something different. Not that conflict is good in itself, but that it can produce something we wouldn’t get otherwise: endurance, maturity, formation.

It requires participation. The passage says “let” steadfastness have its full effect. In other words, it’s not automatic.

That idea echoes something comedian Michael Jr. shares about marriage. Instead of reacting with frustration, he suggests curiosity. “I wonder why this bothers me.”

It’s a small shift, but it changes how we move through conflict. Not just trying to resolve it, but allowing it to reveal something deeper.

Because the goal isn’t just to get through difficulty. It’s not just about preserving a relationship. It’s about becoming the kind of person who can sustain one meaningfully.

Until next time,

THE PLUMB NEWS TEAM