Past Lives (2023)
Brief Encounter meets Before Sunrise in Past Lives, Celine Song’s romantic drama about Korean childhood sweethearts who meet again as adults in New York.
Past Lives is about people we have deep connections with, even when you’re not meant to spend your lives together, through some twist of fate, or just the way life goes.
Playwright Celine Song’s first feature film tells the story of Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). First as 12-year old children in Seoul, before they are separated by the emigration of Nora’s artist parents to Canada. Then as 24-year olds, when they reconnect through Facebook, Nora living in the US as a budding writer, and Hae Sung after military service in Korea. They share a kind of online romance, that is broken off by Nora when she realizes he’s going to work in China and she’s not going back to be near him.
Instead, Nora goes to a writers retreat in the Hamptons where she meets her future husband Arthur, who she seduces by talking about in-yun, a connection they might have based on a culmination of past lives.
Twelve years later Nora, now a successful writer, is still living with Arthur, now in the East Village in New York, when Hae Sun finally makes his way to the Big Apple and they reconnect for the second.
This third part of the story is by far the best and transcends the stereotypes of the romantic drama, instead offering wonderful insights into the capriciousness about human nature and the ways our lives remain intertwined even when as far apart as possible.
Past Lives is beautifully shot and calmly told, in a mature way, that never feels rushed of forced. This is a grown-up movie for grown-up people, but I’m sure it can be enjoyed by both young and old.
There are shades of other romantic masterpieces like Brief Encounter by David Lean, Before Sunrise by Richard Linklater or even In The Mood For Love by Wong Kar-Wain (one of my all-time favorite movies).
There is a stunning nighttime scene between Nora and Arthur, about life, love, fidelity and the immigrant experience that it is truly one for the ages. And to used a worn out cliche, worth the price of admission alone.
My one complaint is that Hae Sun, at least on first viewing, remains a bit of a blank slate. It is clear that Nora is fascinated by him, but is easier to understand why she married Arthur (whose only fault might be being a little too perfect) than why she is still drawn to her childhood friend.
It’s possible that her regret doesn’t really stem from him personally, but more from the road not taken, the possibility of other lives that we slowly lose as we grow older.
Still, in the home stretch we do grow to realize how much Nora means to Hae Sun, and it is hard not to appreciate the possibility that In-yun may bring them back together in their next lives, no matter what happens in this one.
I’d rate this movie a 9 out of 10.
Note: Past Lives premiered at this year’s Sundance Festival and is slowly making its way around the world.