Faraway Eyes (2021)

Faraway Eyes takes the worn-out idea of dating woes and gives it a genuinely fresh twist: what if your love life didn’t just haunt you—what if it determined your afterlife? Set in a bright, oddball “singles Purgatory” populated by recently deceased New Yorkers, it plays like a romantic fable filtered through sharp comedy, with Andy Karl grounding the absurdity in real, bruised-heart sincerity and Christina Ricci adding a sly, off-kilter spark. The vibe is buoyant and weirdly comforting, balancing laughs with a surprising tenderness about second chances and the stories we tell ourselves after a breakup. It does get a bit bawdy and talky in places and won’t be for viewers who prefer their romance squeaky-clean, but if you’re in the mood for a funny, fantastical, slightly naughty rom-com with an unexpectedly warm pulse, it’s an easy yes.

Faraway Eyes is clearly aiming for a quirky, high-concept rom-com with a fantasy twist—dating in the afterlife as a metaphor for heartbreak and second chances—and it does have a few charming moments when it leans into that premise. But the humor can feel uneven and a bit try-hard, and the story often plays more like a cute idea stretched thin than a truly satisfying romantic journey. Some of the “afterlife dating” gags veer into voyeuristic, sex-talk-heavy territory, which may come off more awkward than funny depending on your tolerance for that kind of comedy. If you want a genuinely swoony romance or a sharply written comedy, this may not hit the mark, but if you’re in the mood for a small, oddball concept piece with a likable lead and low-stakes fantasy rules, you might still get a mild kick out of it.