It's got a rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes - and a rating of 'my heart hurts' from LeftLion...
Director: Celine Song
Starring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
Running time: 105 minutes
If you’ve read anything about Past Lives, Celine Song’s moving, critically-acclaimed new romantic drama, you’ll know that pretty much the entire runtime is dedicated to exploring the concept of ‘inyeon’, a Buddhist ideal that suggests some humans are spiritually connected, brought together by destiny and linked on a deeper level through our experiences in, erm, our past lives.
This exploration takes place through the prism of Nora (Greta Lee) and Jung Hae (Teo Yoo), two intelligent, wise-cracking friends from South Korea, the former of whom moves from their native Seoul to New York aged twelve, just as the pair were starting to realise their importance to one another.
Song then catches up with the duo across two separate periods of their lives; twelve years after Nora’s initial departure - as the pair are stuck in their Lost in Translation era, figuring out who they’re meant to be in the world - and twelve years after that, when they’re slightly more settled and at peace with who they are - well, seemingly in the case of Nora, at least.
As the pair saunter around New York City, reminiscing on their childhood and getting real about their lives, you can’t help but root for their happiness
Throughout, there is a fascinating interrogation of human connection. Lee and Yoo establish a crackling chemistry whenever they share the screen, saying so much while saying so little. Every heavy smile, sidewards glance and playful tease demonstrates the ease at which these characters can truly be themselves in each other’s company. As the pair saunter around New York City, reminiscing on their childhood and getting real about their lives, you can’t help but root for their happiness - specifically, their happiness together.
It’s a shame, then, that the initial period of adulthood lacks the same level of sparkle. Sure, Song’s decision to split the duo up during this time, with Nora and Jung Hae having to settle for Skype chats due to their varying locations, is admirable, and makes a lot of narrative sense.
It’s a gorgeous exploration of humanity that isn’t afraid to keep things truthful, with an ending that will leave its mark on your life long after the credits rol
Yet it leads to a situation where the engaging central figures are forced to try and create a believable chemistry through laptop screens. Both stars do a great job throughout, and Song still finds beautiful moments in the silence of a buffering screen or a discussion around the awkwardness of the time difference, but the film only properly sucks you in when these two get to bounce off each other in the same frame.
After a slight sag during this period, though, Past Lives brings the viewer back into the fold with aplomb. By the time Nora and Jung Hae have a proper discussion about whether their inyeon truly exists in this lifetime, or whether Nora has found her true destiny in new partner Arthur (an impressive John Magaro, who takes what could have been a pretty thankless task and instils his character with agency and depth), the heart aches for a life that could have been.
It’s a gorgeous exploration of humanity that isn’t afraid to keep things truthful, shot through stunning, hazy camerawork from DP Shabier Kirchner, with an ending that will leave its mark on your life long after the credits roll. Go and take it all in for yourself on the big screen.
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