Peculiar And Touching—Review Of Past Lives (2023)

Twelve years later, Na Young who changes her name to Nora (played by Greta Lee) is aspiring to be a playwright while Hae Sung joins the military. These friends connect over Facebook and the relationship continues. However, due to distance, Nora suggests they take a break to achieve their goals and pursuits. Does this mean their friendship is over? Will they ever reconnect again and pursue their feelings?

Review

I'll say this is a film worth watching even if it's just once. The plot is interesting and straightforward—childhood friends who grow up to explore whether they would have succeeded if they had explored the romantic side of their feelings. The storytelling is flawless but the pace is a bit slow for me. I understand it's to bring the audience right into the love story of the actors, to feel what they feel.

Past Lives is a romance that spans decades. Director Celine Song in this directorial debut takes us on a time travel around the relationship of the main cast. We see the past, mourn what could have been and decide whether we like the present. The editing and flashbacks are smooth.

I'm particularly awed by the performance of Greta Lee (Nora) and Teo Yoo (Hae Sung) as childhood friends/almost lovers. This is a very emotional film that explores the tender feelings of a relationship that starts from the playground and culminates in adulthood. It's clear that Nora and Hae Sung love each other genuinely but life throws roadblocks in their way. When they eventually circle back to each other, Nora is already committed to another man, Arthur and he respects that his wife once loved another man truly. Can this scenario be viewed as a lost love? Is it possible to fall in love with two people at the same time?

Lee and Yoo's performance is outstanding. The eye contact, their expressions and excitement to talk to one another feel natural. We see the emotional connection. Their chemistry is real and convincing.

One major thing to note is this film allows the audience to reflect on the concept of relationships and the impact of destiny. As you watch, you are reminded of that person or persons whom you had a genuine connection with in the past but never ended up together. You wonder whether such a relationship would have succeeded or not. Hae Sung and Nora while discussing the Korean concept of in-yeon keep asking whether they would have succeeded if they visited each other earlier or if their present relationship was a past life.

In-yeon deals with fate, whether certain people are meant to cross paths in life. In this film, the cast examines whether they have met in a past life and are meant to be together or not.

Overall, I enjoyed this film but like I said, the pace is too slow for me. Though most of the scenes are in Korean language, I had to rely on subtitles to understand. The brilliance and creativity of director Celine Song shine through the performance of the actors and the cinematography. I'll give it 3.5 stars out of 5. If you love romance, you'll like Past Lives maybe even better than I did!

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}