February 5, 2024 · Watch the official trailer
A woman sits between two men at a bar talking to both almost as if she is translating between the two.
Onlookers debate in an attempt to understand what the relationship between the trio are and wonder which man she is with and why they are together so late into the night.
The opening moments of first-time writer/director Celine Song’s romantic drama “Past Lives” really sets the stage for a nuanced, reflective examination of a woman’s identity both in race and nationally as well as a larger more idyllic human perspective.
“Past Lives” follows Nora, a Korean immigrant living in New York City who reaches out to her childhood sweetheart online and the two begin an emotional online relationship that’s complicated by the arrival of an American author she also falls for.
The film never becomes a love triangle despite how audiences might believe it to be at first glance. It’s actually the sudden and emotional collision of two separate worlds coming together as Nora confronts her Korean and American identities as well as childhood versus romantic love.
The astonishing thing about Greta Lee’s performance as Nora comes from just how beautifully and separately she approaches both of the relationships she develops over the course of the film. The unique, distinctive chemistry she’s able to naturally showcase with each of her male counterparts is reflective of the ways in which Nora, and to a larger extent Song as writer/director, views the world.
There’s a delicate intricacy to which Lee approaches the part physically that makes relatively normal interactions feel kinetic and vibrant from the first time Nora meets Hae Sung in person with timidity to a more tender, almost traditional American romantic physicality that she shares with Arthur where nearness and physical touch are an extension of their intimate conversations.
“Past Lives” is a perfect match of actor and filmmaker to the point where Lee reflects Song’s own mind come to physical form that pervades the subtle silences Song litters throughout the film.
Both the male leads, Teo Yoo as Hae Sung and John Magaro as Arthur, do a wonderful job of strengthening the emotional connections Lee seeks to build with them as Nora explores how the world around her, and to a lesser extent the men in her life, shape her as a person. Moments between Hae Sung and Nora online are especially vibrant as Song does not allow the physical distance between them to lessen the raw emotions behind the conversations.
Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the film that’s wonderfully reflected in Song’s screenplay is the fact that there isn’t a villain in the tale. None of the three leads are meant to be antagonistic in any way and there is a genuine affection that Song has for each which is softly and delicately told with a respect for each of the character’s plights to where audiences can equally empathize with each character.
This creates a more humanistic way of approaching cinema and makes “Past Lives” feel truer to life in that no one experience is right or wrong, rather just a difference in perspective from which the story is viewed.
It’s surreal to imagine that this is Song’s first foray into feature filmmaking as a writer or director, given how bold and artistic her debut is. The cinematic grace she displays through the camera, which has a subtle, almost voyeuristic quality to it that allows the wonderful performances to shine through is something that one might expect from a much more seasoned director
Despite a small independent theatrical release last year, “Past Lives” was strong enough to garner a Best Picture nomination for the 2024 Academy Awards, as well as a Best Original Screenplay nod for Song, though Lee should certainly has been in the mix for Best Actress as well.
Unquestionably one of the year’s best films with its brooding humanity at the forefront, “Past Lives” is something any cinephile should take the time to seek out at home whether on demand or through the Paramount Plus streaming service.
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