Selfridges' lifetime of love

In partnership with streaming platform Nowness, British retail chain Selfridges has launched this candid and touching short film depicting the complexities of life-long romantic relationships, titled Eternity.

Brought to life by Common People Films' Dorothy Allen-Pickard, the film captures grandparents Valrie Jean Lazarus and Allan Beresford Lazarus in their family home as they share the joys, complexities and humour of sharing 60 years of their lives with each other.  

The film is the closing chapter of the brand’s New Age series, in which four filmmakers were commissioned to create a four-part film series, each episode exploring a different life stage in response to the question: What makes a life well-lived? 

“I wanted to capture what it’s like to spend your entire life with another person, but not just through a romanticised lens,” says Allen-Pickard. “It was important to me to also reflect the moments of friction and familiarity – the jokes you’ve heard a thousand times, the punchlines you can anticipate before they’re spoken. I was looking for two people so entwined that they can’t live with each other, but also can’t live without each other. I hit the jackpot when I met Valrie and Alan. Their warmth and openness allowed us to create a candid, intimate, and often hilarious portrait of love and companionship that truly embodies a life well-lived.”