Past Lives Review: An Impressively Fresh Story About Love
Ken Jones, OnScreen Blog Chief Film Critic
Love triangles are a dime a dozen in movies. It is rare to get a mature and nuanced story that somehow manages to till new soil instead of going over material that is already well-worn. Writer/director Celine Song’s debut film Past Lives somehow manages this, feeling like a fresh perspective on love, longing, the past, paths chosen, and regrets.
The film opens in a bar with two people off camera commenting about three people sitting at the other end of the bar, two men and one woman. The woman is deep in conversation with one of them while the other man looks more and more like a third wheel with each passing minute.
The woman is Nora (Greta Lee), the one man she is in deep conversation with is Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), a childhood friend she has a strong connection with, and the apparent third wheel is Nora’s husband Arthur (John Magaro). The film then cuts to 24 years earlier to Nora and Hae Sung’s childhood in Seoul, Korea.
Young Nora (Moon Seung-ah) and young Hae Sung (Leem Seung-min) very quickly establish a bond and connection that the audience accepts, even ending a playdate holding hands in the back of the car. This is suddenly ripped away from them as it is revealed that Nora’s parents are on the cusp of emigrating to Canada, and it is heavily implied that it is for Nora to pursue academic aspirations.
The film reconnects them via Facebook and Skype 12 years later, but life and their choices lead them to pull apart, and Nora eventually meets her husband. The film then moves forward a final time to the present, where Nora is happily married, and Hae Sung has also moved on to other relationships. However, it is clear he still carries a torch for the girl of his dreams from his childhood and is finally making the trek to New York for the two to connect in person finally.
Oddly, there never seems to be a question of “Will they or won’t they” between Nora and Hae Sung. Rather, the question that lingers over everything is, “What if?” And there are several “what ifs” dating back to Nora’s family leaving Seoul up to the present.
The film never really dips into any cliches. However, it points out a glaringly obvious one. Knowing that there is an emotional bond between Hae Sung and his wife, Arthur, at one point, comments that it has all the makings of a storybook tale of love, and if it were, he’d be the ugly, white American husband standing in the way. Nora replies with a perfectly dismissive, “Shut up.” Because this is not that kind of story.
While it is primarily a three-person cast, Magaro’s is a supporting role to the two leads Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, who give one of the best combined performances of any duo you will likely see on screen this year. As much as they talk to each other throughout the film, as much or more is communicated through long, sustained eye contact between them. There are also the furtive glances that go unseen by the other occasionally. They convey such a deep-rooted connection between their two characters that it is not diminished by time.
There are two beautiful scenes where the Korean concept of “in-yeon” is described, from which the film’s title is derived. People meeting, even briefly, means they have met before in a past life, and lovers meeting means they have met many times over many past lives. This is used first as Nora falls for Arthur and then, rather poetically, explains why maybe things were just off for Nora and Hae Sung.
The film is littered with small, intimate, and touching moments with the characters, like Hae Sung's nervous energy standing in a New York City park awkwardly waiting for Nora when the two will meet in person for the first time in 24 years. Or the real, frank, and loving conversation Nora and Arthur have about Hae Sung and Nora’s love for Arthur. The film also packs a wallop of an ending that you would have to be pretty cold around the heart not to be moved by.
Past Lives is an impressive debut film from writer/director Celine Song. It is assured in itself and mature about handling delicate and romantic feelings. It grapples with questions about what could have been, making peace with what is, and making the case that love can change and morph over time without diminishing what was. It is a perspective that everyone could benefit from.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars