Past Lives (2023) User Reviews

Like a Stephen Sondheim Song Come to Life

[evanston_dad · 9/10 · 11 July 2023]

"Past Lives" is like a Stephen Sondheim song come to life.

You know the song "The Road You Didn't Take" from "Follies?" How it's all about the different doors that exist along the path of life, but you only get to enter one at a time, leaving you to wonder what was behind the other doors. And that one path isn't necessarily better or worse than another, just different. And that you'll never know what was behind the doors you didn't choose, and that anyway time will eventually smooth over the regret you feel at not choosing them instead. Except that it doesn't always, and you may never stop completely regretting the life you think you might have had, even if you don't really mind the life you do have.

This movie is that song. It's watching a beautifully defined female character convince herself and her husband that her life is what she wants it to be, and that she doesn't wish she'd taken a chance on the childhood sweetheart who comes back into her life after years apart and with whom she has off the charts chemistry. The actors who play the sweethearts as adults, Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, are both exceptional, but it's Lee who creates the most fascinating character. A bit cold, a bit distant, not always even completely likable in a way that's hard to define, a bit casually cruel to her husband who by anything the movie shows us can't be judged as anything other than a good, solid, and super understanding guy. But then there's that last scene that took my breath away, when we see the resolve not to feel emotions that would be inconvenient to feel give way, and we realize just how much has been roiling underneath the surface of Lee's character all along. It's magnificent and earned its right to leave me a quivering mess.

The movie is also a sensitive look at what it feels like to be an immigrant, torn between two cultures, and not sure whether the nostalgia you feel is what you really want or just the allure of the familiar.

A really great bit of counterprogramming in a summer that seems to be dishing up nothing but Marvel movies.

Grade: A.

Beautiful, touching film

[gbill-74877 · 9/10 · 19 June 2023]

"If you had never left Seoul, would I have still looked for you? Would we have dated? Broken up? Gotten married? Would we have had kids together?"

Such a touching film, but at the same time, never cloying, because the script and direction from Celine Song were so wonderfully restrained. I liked how it acknowledged the random little things in our lives that all have to add up in a certain way for us to end up with our partner in life, things in retrospect which are kind of mind-boggling, but at the same time, gave a certain nod to the idea of fate, the Buddhist "in-yun" concept of meeting someone again and again in our reincarnations until it reaches the threshold that allows for marriage. The characters were beautifully drawn and didn't devolve into cliches, an example of which was the husband who gave a master class in being understanding and supportive. Beautiful cinematography too. Definitely one to see.

What I learned from it

[elisavbizau · 9/10 · 11 December 2023]

Such a beautiful picture film. It has everything you want from a good movie: a cute romance, philosophy to guide the narrative, characters that feel real even if you don't get to see what they do (in his case) or barely see anything (in her case). It's as if the scriptwriters managed to weave a touching romance out of snippets, without it feeling like you're watching something unfinished.

There's this one scene where they show how time passes. I loved the cinematography behind that. Simple yet rewarding visually.

From this movie I learned that you should accept love and realise that you don't have to give up what you have for what you could have. You can accept both those feelings of love inside of you and even if it hurts, it's what I believe makes the soul feel alive.

Sometimes simple stories are the best.

[benjaminskylerhill · 10/10 · 23 June 2023]

And first-time director Celine Song has created one of these. It's a masterpiece of deeply genuine human emotion. And that masterpiece is Past Lives.

Song's dialogue is understated to the point of risking not creating a connection with the characters. It would not have worked with sub-par actors. But the risk payed off big time-all of these actors are wonderful, allowing their body language and line delivery fill in the gaps with their characters' true psychology.

A simple plot becomes a richly complex story of lost love, sought closure, and found purpose; and it's all due to Celine Song having the proper understanding of when to allow silence to speak.

Yet despite the frequent bouts of silence, not a moment feels wasted. Every shot and sentence is meticulously edited to give us exactly what we need to feel each moment with its full emotional power.

This very well may be the best film of 2023. It's the work of a master storyteller, and it's only her first film.

Fragile Longing

[aweynand96 · 9/10 · 7 July 2023]

The wind, the leaves, the streets, the towers; everything exists with a supple glow. There's a love for environment behind the camera, where director Celine Song stands, telling her story. Kirchner, her cinematographer, lends immense craft to the film's 35mm scenery. Nora, Hae Sung, Arthur; the three central characters are handled with wonderful grace. They easily communicate complex emotion. They're likable, and they're relatable. New York City, Seoul; I hardly know either of them practically, but now I feel like I do, in some intimate way. These two cities are dearly loved. Longing; what did you think of when you finished this film?

Past Lives is an honest, delicate, and ambling movie. Nora, once a little girl from urban Korea, chooses her path as an American writer after immigrating with her family. She marries a different writer (Arthur, a Jewish New Yorker), adopts the culture of NYC, and chases her ambition. She's still Korean, but the identity ebbs. She doesn't sound like it anymore. Hae Sung, her childhood friend who never left the country, is very much Korean; his path is that of an engineer living with his parents, which he describes as ordinary. He loves Nora deeply. He loved her when she left Seoul at twelve, and loved her still at the points in which their lives intersected. Nora loves him too, in her own complicated, almost grieving way. He is her connection to a childhood she longs for, washed away in her memories, and seldom revisited because of the complicated feelings that come with being a child immigrant.

The story is simple but it bursts at the seams with emotion and humor. Admittedly slow, but without wasting your time. I connected with all three of the main characters to some degree, each carried by an actor with the apparent gravity of a veteran superstar. They are emotionally intelligent, and they react to each other in interesting, startlingly realistic ways. Celine Song plays on a very specific feeling of aching; for a forgotten time in one's life, for an identity, or for a lover. It's particular, but looking around the audience as we left the theater, you could see that most people were in their own heads, thinking of something (or someone). We all long for something lost.

Perhaps not all of us, but probably most, have also wrestled with the feeling of permanence in the journey we choose for ourselves. You only live once, said Drake, but that's really a terrifying thought sometimes. Carving out one lifetime - engineered across thousands of individual decisions - means foregoing an infinite number of others. People deal with this in a number of ways; providence, reincarnation, and an afterlife, to name a few. Nora and Hae Sung might be soulmates, but will they know it in this lifetime, or the next?

I really can't wait for the next project Song works on, and that goes double for the cast. I sunk my teeth into this deeply romantic, deeply resonant film, which is capable of bringing immense longing to the surface. It is coated with a beautiful score and draped atop memorable settings. It's a home-run.

9/10 for making me want to visit Seoul.

Painfully good

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 9/10 · 12 September 2023]

Past Lives hurts. It's sort of like all the movies in the Before Trilogy rolled into one, and if the two people there had first parted ways in childhood. It also made me think about some recent films, like The Worst Person in the World, Return to Seoul, and Aftersun. It's got more in common with the first two than the last of those, but I guess they're all going to form a 2020s Quadrilogy of Sadness in my mind (much more memorable than a Triangle of the same thing).

Maybe Quadrilogy of Longing or Regret is a better name. These are all films that grapple with regrets of the past and uncertainties of the future. They largely centre on young characters, and all demonstrate that cinema is not dead or bankrupt on ideas if filmmakers like the ones behind these are still finding new, interesting, and uncompromising ways to make viewers feel very moved. I do compare Past Lives to those, but I should also say it in no way feels derivative. The emotional and narrative experience it offers is still distinct and undeniably effective.

When it comes to Past Lives, there were just a couple of scenes where I thought the dialogue was laying it on a little thick, but this film's otherwise hard to fault. It has great performances, and a real understated beauty to the visuals that I really loved. Part of me wonders how it would've resonated if I'd seen it at a different age, but I feel like anyone who's in their 20s or 30s and is currently feeling a little vulnerable in life will find this one hits hard - maybe even too hard, because it strikes a nerve and feels raw in the best (and most difficult) way possible.

All The Dudes Cried

[dnkqbzw · 9/10 · 26 June 2023]

I saw Past Lives alone on a Sunday morning with 3 other single men in the theater. We all sat in opposite corners. Every single one of us cried, shamelessly, out loud as this movie concluded. If your movie makes 4 dudes show up alone to a movie at 10:30am on a Sunday and cry, you hit it out of the park.

Past Lives takes an intimate look at the people we disconnect, and reconnect with, over the course of our lives. Specifically focusing on reconnecting with a childhood crush, Past Lives features an elite performance from Greta Lee in the lead role. She displays a range of emotion from tears you can feel to the somber, dry expressions many show when they simply don't know how to express their feelings.

This film moves fast even though its pace is slow. The dialog shifting languages keeps your attention and creates the beautiful cultural connection needed to make this story of an immigrant and the man who stayed behind work. The way this story builds Greta's life in NY at the moment you believe they're finally going to connect... god this movie got me.

I was blown away by this movie. It's the most I've felt in a movie in a long time. Sadness, angst, loneliness, fear, human connection. Past Lives is what most slow paced dramas wish they could be.

The ending tho

[Melbergs · 4 April 2024]

I felt like this film touched on so many subtle, unsaid things between people: love that's lost because two people don't know how to/don't want to prioritize it, the convenience of being in some relationships, the feeling like you're saying something just because you think it's the right thing to say (especially around the people that you think need to hear it) when deep down it doesn't feel like the truth whatsoever, and going along with something because you've already committed to it instead of doing it because you want to do it. I know that's vague, but I didn't want to spoil anything, but maybe once you've seen it you'll know what I mean. It was all handled so beautifully and had such heartbreakingly sincere human experiences. I think it's safe to say that in the end, we have no effing idea what we are doing and how it will turn out, but we just hope it's the right decision in the moment.

Promised much, but didn't quite deliver for me

[pkertes-59666 · 6/10 · 26 August 2023]

This movie is basically about "what might have been", a question we all ask ourselves at some point(s) in our lives, quite often about romantic connections.

Nora ( her adopted western name) and Hae Sung are childhood friends (aged 12) who are separated when her parents emigrate to Canada. She has grand ambitions to be a famous writer while he is content to be an ordinary person living an ordinary Korean life (his words).

12 years later they reconnect on Facebook (he still misses her) and spend a while talking regularly and reconnecting, but not enough for either to change their life plans.

Another 12 years pass with no contact, and now we find Nora happily married to another writer and living in New York City and Hae Sung is visiting. There is still some connection there, a longing perhaps, and a lot of confusion, especially on her part. Her husband Arthur is is not thrilled but tries to be understanding.

This film has received mostly rave reviews and there is early Oscar talk. I can see why many might love it but I didn't. The acting was good, particularly Teo Yoo and John Magaro in the two male parts. But I really didn't like the direction at all. Many scenes were laborious and slow - I get that emotions can be displayed with nuanced looks but it was overdone to the point of annoyance. The cinematography did little to showcase either Soeul or NYC, nor did it add value to the emotional whirlpool the two main characters were caught in. And the bluish colour palette didn't work for me.

The script had some great moments, particularly the scenes with Nora and her husband, but was patchy in many other places. In particular it made it difficult to really care that much for the Nora character.

It's usual for me to reach for the tissues at the end of good rom-coms or any movie which successfully portrays an emotional conundrum. I left this movie dry-eyed and a little disappointed, not at what might have been for the characters, but for the movie this story could have been. So 6/10 from me, but it's the sort of movie that many will absolutely love, so you should see it because that might be you.

One of the most realistic romance movies ever

[mazurken · 10/10 · 28 June 2023]

Out the movies that came out in my youth, "500 Days of Summer" was considered one of the most accurate depictions of love on the silver screen. One of its most poignant scenes was the contrast between expectations and reality -- "Past Lives" does you one better. Instead of showing you what the characters expect, it makes the viewer believe he or she knows what will happen, then highlights how reality doesn't match romantic ideals.

Upon the film's conclusion, one is left to ponder the many people they've met in life. How many romances were unrealized, how many stories unwritten?

The acting is excellent and the story is well written. Unlike many other contemporary romance films and TV shows, "Past Lives" recognizes that not all movies are fairytales and in so doing has a much deeper impact.

The Lives of Others...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 23 August 2023]

Now here's a story that has something for us all, if you consider all the past events and things that went before, all the options, permutations, that could have ended in relations, outcomes, futures, roads untaken, that then fall. As Jung Hae Sung and Nora meet as kids, there's a connection but then adios she bids, moving to the USA, kimchi days are left astray, different plays shape different folks - the lives they've lived. Correspondence over time keeps thoughts reflective, then meeting up creates a kind of retrospective, what could have been, and what could be, things preordained, but choice is free, quite intriguing, but it rests on your perspective.

Someone who leaves

[dannylee-78082 · 9/10 · 15 July 2023]

When I first saw the trailer of this movie, I was worried that it was going to be one of those cringe love story movie that exploits the Asian American hype in cinema. My concerns were all dispelled rather quickly. Celine Song's debut feature, "Past Lives" is a story of nostalgia and longing. It's less about romantic love because the movie makes it clear that Hae-sung and Na-young are never really in love with each other. There were many scenes where them being together contrasted with several couples around them. They were close but not intimate. Nobody ever crosses the line and remain as friends who long for each other.

I also want to comment how well written the husband's character is. He is married into a foreign culture and he probably always worried about him not being "Korean"makes him somehow an inadequate partner. He worries that his relationship somehow got in the way of Nora's immigrant dreams. While he has his own insecurities about the relationship and Hae-sung (who is by all standards, a 10/10 idealistic man), he accepts Nora's longing and embraces her as she cries after sending away Hae-sung. He understands that it's not about a romantic feeling but saying goodbye to one of the few connections and nostalgia to her home country.

The entire movie also had technically surprising moments, making it hard to believe that this is a feature debut. It is filled with beautiful, sensitive shots that capture New York and Seoul pretty well. The music is dreamy and I've been spamming the soundtrack. Subtlety is well preserved and that's what i look for in movies. Dialogues were expertly captured with the director often using the technique of giving the focus to the listener rather than the speaker - directing the audience's attention to the reaction of what is being said.

Overall, a beautiful film with little to criticize. One comment I have is that the accent in the Koreans were a little funny. However, I think it captures the awkwardness well enough. Being bilingual in Korean and English usually makes me bothered in watching films like this but I was not this time. Translations were also done pretty well, thankfully (this is SO important for me).

A good concept, but doesn't deliver

[peeedeee-94281 · 6/10 · 23 August 2023]

I felt that the director spent too much energy establishing the distance in time and location, that she didn't develop the characters enough to make you feel empathy for any of them.

Sure many of us have had that childhood crush that we wish could be revisited in later years, or at least some curiosity of what happened in the meantime. But it feels like those gaps in time weren't filled with anything. It's as if the characters had stopped for 12 years, then started again, then stopped, then started again, which would not be realistic.

I was also half expecting Nora to talk about 9/11 as they were on the boat, and how it affected her, as she would have been living in NYC at that time, but that wasn't even brought up. Not that it was crucial to the plot of the film, but it did shape a lot of people's lives who lived through it.

What really got under my skin, though, was the long pauses. I get it, you want to convey emotion through watching the characters pausing and looking at each other without saying anything. But after the 3rd or 4th time, it just felt really forced.

Ultimately, I didn't really feel any emotion for any of the characters, and what good is a drama if you aren't connecting with the people in it? Worth a look, but in the end, you don't really feel you learned anything at the end.

I honestly can't tell how I feel about this film (which I guess means I didn't like it)

[darkreignn · 5/10 · 26 June 2023]

I saw the trailer to "Past Lives" before a showing of "Master Gardener," and immediately knew I wanted to see it. I have an affinity for Asian cinema, but more than that, the concept of past lovers reconnecting after decades made for an intriguing premise, one that I had to see unfold on the big screen. And after seeing it unfold (on the big screen), I honestly can't tell how I feel about "Past Lives," which, I guess, means it left me feeling kind of cold.

With so many people gushing over this movie, the fact that I fail to see what others are seeing has made me somewhat uncomfortable. I'd have loved to witness the "pitch-perfect romance" that critics say "Past Lives" contains. I wish I managed to see the "first great film of the year"; instead, I watched a perfectly watchable film, but one that didn't leave much of an imprint on me. "Past Lives" is less a romance and more a dramatic exploration of what could have been. And while that seems like it could be interesting, the unlikeable character of Nora, played by Greta Lee, and the distinctly unromantic and uncomfortable story progression made for a decidedly cringy experience. So, let's start with Nora.

Greta Lee is a great actress - there is no doubt about that. The thing is that her character, Nora, is extremely unlikable and unsympathetic. Throughout the course of the entire film she makes mean, borderline cruel choices that put others through the emotional ringer. This left me entirely unsympathetic to her romantic plight - however, I did enjoy Teo Yoo's portrayal as Hae Sung, and especially John Magaro's character of Arthur; both of them play entirely believable and relatable characters who become caught up in situations either of their own doing or of someone else's.

As I mentioned, "Past Lives" is also remarkably unromantic. Instead of seeing two people fall in love against all odds, you'll witness a bizarre sort of reconnection with a third-wheel that is obviously against everything that's occurring. It's not romantic - purposefully so, I think - but it's also not very fun to watch, which might be the point, but still. The whole "will they, won't they" scenario begins to fall short as you'll begin to realize that you don't care whether they will or they won't because of how awkward the entire scenario is. And with an ending that feels more of a fizzle than a bang, when the credits rolled I couldn't help but feel empty. "That's life," the movie seems to say, hoping you simply accept what it's showing you.

The more I think about this film, the less I like it, which sucks because I really wanted to like it. Call me a romantic, but I was hoping for a more straightforward love story, and what I got was something that was awkward, uncomfortable, and un-enjoyable.

Romance finally feels real

[spencermcook · 9/10 · 28 June 2023]

I'm nearly emotionless staring at this screen as I try to piece together my thoughts from a deeply moving film. Past Lives is purely honest, heartfelt, and piercingly direct with the evolution of its story, let alone with the natural growth its two lead characters. The score patiently guides the emotions of the audience, heightened by steady framing and extended sequences from a gorgeous color scheme to create an overwhelmingly tense presence in its tone, but never crossing that line in doing so. You feel the most out of every moment because the film puts trust in the fact that you will. The concluding sequence is a testament to the formatting of this entire story as the writing positions you to finally see and feel exactly as these characters do, and that's the ingredient that makes this experience so special. A true romance film crafted for our understanding and psychological reflection in 2023 and one that'll remain timeless for generations to come.

Closure In Love

[statuskuo · 8/10 · 17 June 2023]

I've always bemoaned how cinema caters now to the children and that there are no adult films. Here is one that treats the audiencem that have the opportunity to watch itm as adults. While it does play like a stage play (most likely because director/writer Celine Strong is a playwriter) it doesn't take away the fact of the ideas within it.

The story is of two Korean kids, who are in love, by their kid standards. They most likely spent years since childhood walking to school and spending countless days together. In the break, it is an unceremonious goodbye. Words escape them as we would want them to express their feelings. You won't get that here. Nora and her family make it to Canada, and finds it difficult to assimilate into her school.

Hae Sung, meanwhile, stays back in Korea to go through the mandatory military service.

12 years past. And now Hae Sung curiously has reached out to Nora. They begin an internet relationship which never crosses over to romantic, but you can feel a deep connection. It's closeness. While Nora has now moved on to New York, Hae Sung is now in college to study engineering.

They spent countless time re-living their lives through the internet, but eventually, Nora realizes this has been holding her back. She makes the difficult decision to stop talking to Hae Sung so they can grow since neither can invest real time together. Hae Sung reluctantly agrees.

Another 12 years past, and we now are the point where Nora is married to another writer. He is an American and, though finds ways to express his love to Nora, there is still a little bit of distance. Since Nora has roots deep in Korea. Hae Sung is a working man now and decides to visit Nora.

The rest of the story is up for you to watch. I will say, it is pretty brutally honest. For anyone who has gone through long distance relationships, loved and lost and then re-connected in some way, what follows in the film may bring up raw feelings. But director Song REALLY wants you to overlook the "what could've been aspect" to the idea that there are just people in life you have a connection with, but never can be with them in a tangible world that we can see now. The spiritual nature/philosophical idea is similar to a metaverse concept. But isn't done in a way like Marvel does. It's about connections and the inarticulate way we cannot understand why we have these people in our lives.

If you are self-aware of your life, you tend to consider these possibilities. Though the movie lingers slowly, the poetic nature of their silence will either calm you or make you frustrated that it hasn't moved faster. This movie is VERY much for grown ups. The themes need you to live a life where many people come through your life in order for you to appreciate what the tone of it ultimately means. There are no answers here. Only solid performances by its two leads, Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. They are fantastic in playing thought processes out.

It's a deep story of love that requires you invest some of your own brain power to enjoy. Feel the ache of love.

Jada, Will Smith and Tupac walk into a bar.

[AfricanBro · 10/10 · 29 January 2024]

Okay on a serious note, I genuinely thought this movie was perfect. Wouldn't change a thing about it. Only aware of its positive reputation, was gonna watch it last year but kept postponing until I forgot about it. I also thought it was going to be a foreign film. I haven't watched a proper romance/drama movie in a while, so this movie really felt like it was what I was missing in my life.

I loved the opening scene, depicting a group of friends people-watching at the bar which sets a precedent for how the movie made me feel. It starts by with an unknown voice asking "Who do you think they are to each other?"These unseen voices/narrators at the start discuss the relationships of the protagonists Nora, Hae Sung and Arthur, and this felt like it's us as the viewer watching. The movie felt like a behind the scenes glimpse into these people's lives with an unrivaled intimacy. It's such a remarkable personal experience.

The story isn't groundbreaking, two childhood friends and potential lovers reunite after being separated for years and lingering feelings bubble up, even though one of them is married. A premise that's been done but this was a unique approach to the classic love triangle in how nuanced and unbiased it was.

A few small notes of moments I loved, first was when the Hae Sung's mum asked 'why are you in a good mood?' Like yeah mum's always know lol. I also loved that they mentioned "Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind". When they reconnected, I liked that Nora hugged him when they first met again after 20yrs; and he hugged her when they said goodbye for what felt like the last time. 'Severe thunderstorms' made me giggle, because it sometimes really does seem like there's always a weather warning in New York. I loved the thoughtful dialogue. Felt very natural the way two people would speak normally day to day, not like you're reading a novel; which is a huge contrast to Millers Girl which I had just walked out of.

With a moderate amount of dialogue, the film is skillfully shot, bearing a visual resemblance to other A24 productions. You can kinda tell what it's leading up to but it doesn't feel cliche. While it may not be the most exhilarating or a romance that sweeps you off your feet, it maintains a genuine and emotionally honest tone. Even without recency bias, I consider it one of the most believable romances/dramas I've watched, where sympathy extends to all characters, eliminating the need to pick sides. The acting is very excellent, with compelling chemistry evident in character interactions and expressive glances. Especially that conversation in the bar, the way Hae Sung looked at Nora, and Arthur basically third wheeling.

I thought he was going to be painted as the bad guy who's getting in the way of love but the movie didn't do that. I loved the conversation he had in bed about if there was another writer she met at the residency, He'd probably be taking Arthur's place. Typical romance films would paint the idea that Hae Sung and Nora are 'soulmates' and have Arthur vilified.

I really love that there's no antagonist in the narrative, and no one is to blame - the writer deliberately ensured that. The unbiased writing is a standout feature that I liked. Loved the ending, it's not leaning towards happiness, sorrow, or a cliffhanger, it felt authentically real. The characters weren't moralized, and there was no clear right or wrong. Nora's emotional flood, depicted in the final scene with Arthur, adds depth to her situation not being clear cut simple. It would be implausible for her not to feel anything for Hae Sung, for Arthur not to realize and be insecure, and for Hae Sung not to be devastated. Beyond being a romance, the story explores Nora's immigrant experience, caught between two cultures, probably making the tears signify more than just bidding farewell to her past life with Hae Sung but also to Korea.

I appreciated the inclusion of all characters, spent time with all of them, with Nora as the main focus. We delve into Nora's journey and motivations, as well as spending time separately with Hae Sung and Arthur. A standout moment for me was the brief scene after Nora and Hae Sung left the house and Arthur stayed behind - it felt authentic and intimate, offering a glimpse into Arthur's private emotions. Like something we're not suppose to see and we're secretly watching. Goes back to the opening scene of the movie where we were people-watching. Unlike the typical approach where the camera would follow the Nota and Hae Sung, this scene stayed with Arthur, making it my favorite in the movie. Similar moments occur with Nora and Hae Sung, particularly after phone calls, showcasing brilliant acting and direction. It's a departure from the usual focus on only the two 'soulmate' characters in a love triangle, adding depth to the narrative.

Loved the concept of the movie - a portrayal of destiny and fate, where strangers who held significant meaning in a past life remain distantly connected in the present. It's a painful ending to a movie that stuck with me after. A movie that prompts to ask questions about pivotal life moments, decisions, and the potential impact of maintaining contact with certain people or seizing particular opportunities, whether you're making or made the right decisions, how different life would be. These reflections extend beyond relationships, encompassing the wider spectrum of life; and In-Yun felt like a lense to make sense of these complexities. A way to cope. The line "What if this is a past life as well, and we are already something else to each other in our next life?"

An exceptional, intimately powerful directorial debut

[bastille-852-731547 · 10/10 · 10 June 2023]

Having played at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals this year to rave reviews, A24's "Past Lives" is every bit as extraordinary as many are claiming it is. I've always liked many A24 films, so after the film's sterling critical acclaim, I was very interested in seeing it. There's no doubt that this film is just about as supremely impactful and thoughtful a directorial debut, that analyzes and meditates on universal themes through the lens of unique subtexts and incisive, superbly written character development. The film's title derives from the South Korean concept of "In Yun," which means that the experiences with other people that we meet and spend time with in life today are derived or based on equivalences from past lives. The film follows Nora (Greta Lee,) a writer originally from South Korea who had immigrated first to Toronto and then to New York City. She's married to Arthur (john Magaro,) but has also been connecting over FaceTime with her childhood friend Hae Sung (Seung Min Yim.) He has recently finished his mandatory military service in Korea, and hasn't seen Nora in over a decade.

While some of the basic themes that Celine Song's screenplay touches on may seem clichéd, viewers should know that their treatment in the story and relative to the powerful character development is completely original and creative. There is a deep emotional impact on the viewer as the most basic themes of the story (love, interpersonal connection, friendship, immigration, cultural identity) affect the three main characters each in different and wholly authentic ways. The screenplay is superbly written, establishing dramatic tension in an interpersonal way while thoughtfully taking its time to further develop the storytelling. At a relatively short 106 minutes, the film is perfectly paced, never seeming too fast or too slow to allow the viewers to appropriately interpret the characters and their unique qualities and place within the story. Being able to provide such a powerful performance to complement this material is no easy feat, but all three main actors (Lee, Min Yim, and Magaro) do so with flying colors. Their emotions and chemistry are completely genuine from the first frame until the credits roll. While the film's stakes may seem relatively low (and, to some extent, they can be,) Song's formal, technical, and artistic control of the medium is no less extraordinary. The film is beautifully shot and scored, presenting an understated, airy, and gentle vibe that complements but never overbears the outstanding acting and writing on display. It's lyrical, enthralling, and fully liberated from derivativeness or tedium. Even simple location shots, such as a carousel near a waterfront, help complement the emotional connection between the characters in such shots in a soulful and deliberate way.

In short, "Past Lives" provides a well-made and well-acted reflection on how love, longing, and culture make us learn and grow over time so powerful and rooted in original and creative storytelling. As a result, in my opinion, it is the best film released since Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" in 2019. Bravo! 10/10.

Artistic with little dialogue and activity.

[rrjturks · 6/10 · 3 July 2023]

The wife and I aren't action movies and gravitate towards movies with stories but this was just ok. Lots of emotional scenes but the interaction was awkward and unrealistic. The actors didn't need to rehearse their lines as there was little dialogue. It had some emotional moments but the movie lacked character engagement. We both felt it spent too much time on the artistic side and not enough time developing the storyline. They went from Korea to Toronto to New York with basically no indication or reason how or why We both agree it was average to good but certainly not deserving of an 8.4 rating.

Elite movie watching

[cxwyf · 10/10 · 17 March 2024]

I caught myself several times thinking this is really well done movie. The story line is original too.

If you are looking for an under 2 hour movie (105 minutes) - this movie is worth the watch. It's hard to pull together a story in under 2 hours where you feel like you really get to know the characters. This movie pulls that off quite nicely. The character development is next level and done in a very subtle, tidy way.

Also another big plus is that the ending is so well done that it doesn't leave you feeling like you were shortchanged. The physical acting and body language is so subtle but yet so important in this film.

A film of reconnection and memories and it shows what might have been.

[blanbrn · 7/10 · 4 July 2023]

I from time to time love and enjoy an emotional romantic drama, and international and foreign films do just fine with the theme and genre. This latest independent work from "A24" called "Past Lives" is one touching and powerful journey of how the past and the lives of people can come full circle. The films spans forward and shows flashbacks also. It is the story of two childhood friends Nora(Greta Lee) and Hae who grow up in South Korea and they seemed destined for each other only when Nora and her family move to New York City things change. Yet many years later Hae finds Nora on face book and facetime and connects with her. Only as in life and love their emotions take different paths as Nora marries another playwright. Only Hae Sung does journey to New York city to meet her and the love, memories, and connection is felt as you the viewer see the emotions of friendship, culture and it has both asking as to what might have been, yet other things must have been meant. As thru the connection and rediscovery Nora still stays married. Overall good well done film of love, and reconnection showing how fate and chance and change plays a part in life.

People who liked it consider watching the 2018 Indian film 96

[iamjoshi-86865 · 8/10 · 19 September 2023]

I loved the film, it stayed with me for days.

People who watch it will either find it to be super boring or will keep thinking about it for days.

The cinematography, the dialogues, performance and Score are just beautiful. The silent moments between them are beautiful too.

I do not recommend this to everyone, but if you love movies like Before Sunrise trilogy or the Irish movie Once or Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless mind. You will love this one too.

But, for me having watched the 2018 Indian film 96 many times I could not stop comparing these two movies. , I mean the subway scene with them holding the pole just staring at one n another.

The What ifs. Both the movies are so similar concept wise.

For me this lacked a spark and was a bit boring

[dorothybishop-12911 · 6/10 · 6 October 2023]

It's clear I am in a minority, but I didn't enjoy this very much.

As a plus, the basic themes of chance influences on relationships, cultural identity, and changing character over time are all of interest to me, and I did find myself reflecting on them afterwards.

I also liked to see daily life in Korea - films like this help to overcome many stereotypes that Westerners have.

The principal problem was that I didn't warm to the character of Nora - she seemed ambitious, self-centred and unempathic. Having said that, ambition can be a good thing, and it was clearly something that appealed to Hae Sung and set her apart from others in Korea. But, much as I like strong female characters, I did not find Nora likeable, which made it hard to get involved in the plot, or to be sad about the ending.

There was no chemistry between her and her husband - perhaps that was intentional, given the plot, but it seemed odd that he was so devoted to her.

I found the dialogue a bit tedious.

And some of the scenes were odd: e.g. When she turns up at a writing retreat and there's nobody there - not even a housekeeper, so she walks in and settles in to a room. Huh? And then when Arthur turns up, her first sentence, after introducing herself is to say "You got the worst room". I mean, who says something like that to a total stranger?

It also seemed hard to believe that two people who were writers could earn enough to live in New York (even in a less fancy bit of New York) - wouldn't they have to have 2nd jobs to survive, especially when starting out? Things did seem to have rather fallen into Nora's lap.

Finally, and as an indication of how weird *i* am, I could barely focus on the conversation in the fairground scene (? Coney Island) because there was a carousel in the background and the horses went round and round but did not go up and down. For a Brit this is very peculiar and against the natural order of things.

Disappointing, contrived, shallow and irritating. Gender double standard on show?

[moviedays1 · 1/10 · 16 September 2023]

Truly, cannot understand the gushing acclaim this movie has attracted. The main character Nora, is supposedly an ambitious and gifted writer, aspiring to win a Nobel Prize or a Pulitzer, but can't seem to string more than a bland, stunted, superficial sentence together. Her sulky, cold, prepossessed, vain behaviour was grating to watch for nearly 2 hours. It was disturbing watching Nora manipulatively play an emotional cat and mouse game with the two, supposed 'loves of her life'. When she immigrates from Korea to America she cannot even summon a goodbye to her sensitive, devoted, childhood sweetheart, Jung Hae Sung. The script is excruciatingly silly at times, for example, when, after 12 years of no contact, Jun Hae Sung seeks to make contact with Nora on the internet, she replies, 'do you remember me?'....well of course he does because he has been looking for you and you were the best of buddies! The dialogue is woefully lacking in nuance and cross-cultural issues dealt with very little exploration, eg., Nora describing Jun Hae Sung to her husband, as 'masculine' and so 'Korean'.

When he visits her in New York, she gazes into his eyes seductively, despite having no intention to pursue a relationship and without any regard to his obvious loneliness, fragility and vulnerability. Despite it being blatantly obvious that he is in love with her, Nora tells her husband that she realises Jun Hae Sung came to New York to see her! Really! Nora's references to 'Inyeon', the Buddhist ? , she wasn't sure :-), concept of how relationships are based on multiple encounters over thousands of lifetimes, fate and providence, attempts to weave a spiritual, deeper theme into a movie which, in my opinion, was distinctly lacking in depth or soulfulness. Go see the underrated and beautifully poignant, 'Empire of Light' for that.

As a woman, I have to wonder if this 'triangle love' story would have been as well received if Nora's character was a man? I think the critics might not be as gushing if a man, possessing all the power, acted as recklessly and manipulatively towards two vulnerable women?

beautiful and moving

[TheBigSick · 25 June 2023]

Past Lives is a beautifully understated and emotionally resonant film about the power of love, loss, and second chances. The film follows Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), two childhood friends who are reunited 20 years after they were separated by Nora's family's emigration from South Korea. The film explores the complex emotions that arise when these two old friends reconnect, as they grapple with the choices they've made in their lives and the possibility of what might have been.

Song's direction is assured and sensitive, and she elicits outstanding performances from her two leads. Lee and Yoo are both incredibly charismatic and believable as Nora and Hae Sung, and their chemistry is undeniable.

The film's cinematography is gorgeous, with Shabier Kirchner's lens capturing the beauty of both Seoul and New York City. The film's score is also superb, with a haunting and evocative soundtrack that perfectly complements the film's emotional tone.

Past Lives is a beautifully made and deeply moving film that will stay with you long after you've seen it. It's a film about love, loss, and the power of second chances, and it's sure to resonate with anyone who has ever experienced the pain of separation or the joy of reunion.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Some of the things that I particularly liked about the film include:

The film's understated and realistic depiction of love and relationships.

The film's sensitive and nuanced portrayal of the Asian American experience.

The film's beautiful cinematography and evocative score.

The film's two lead performances, which are both incredibly charismatic and believable.

Overall, I thought Past Lives was a beautiful and moving film that is sure to stay with me long after I've seen it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a thoughtful and emotionally resonant film to watch.