Around June or July, I started to hear excellent things about Past Lives, but as with some smaller films, it takes a while for them to be released in the UK cinemas if they even get a cinema release. But luckily, this one finally got one, and I was able to catch it. Nothing about this movie is “instant”. Past Lives is a slow-paced film; it talks about this “what if” idea we have seen in the last couple of years a lot, and it does it all very deliberately. It’s one of those “mood films” where you must let it go under your skin, need to accept its tempo, and then you will enjoy it. And it 100% deserves to be enjoyed, seen and celebrated. The more I thought about this film after it was finished, the more I loved it.
The biggest strength of Past Lives is its self-awareness. Celine Song understands that the audiences in 2023 have seen many “what if” or “multiverse concept” movies, as that’s the main theme of this one as well, the idea of what would happen if Nora (Greta Lee) stayed in Korea, whether she would stay with her childhood love (Teo Yoo). Where the self-awareness kicks in is this is a “what if” movie on a small budget, so don’t expect anything “fancy”. No; instead, it gives you brilliant characters with actual depth. There is a scene in the bedroom around halfway through the film where Nora talks to her husband (John Magaro), and that scene helped me understand and, to a certain level, unlock this film. Because there are no villains in Past Lives, you may think you know where this is going, but the film is smart enough to flash out all its characters, so there are just… people. I soon started to realise how easy it would have been to tell this story in an easier, likeable way, you know the drill, the husband doesn’t love her or is not attentive, etc., but this film doesn’t do that. It asks you to take a step back, gives you the scenario, lets you decide how you feel about this situation and asks you what you would do.
Another point I loved about this movie is how it will mean so much to people like me, who emigrated in their lives and left everything behind. I am sure I am not the first or last person to stop and think about my life and how it would look like had I stayed in my home country. What made it even more relatable is that I find myself in the same boat as Nora; I like my life now, I made something of myself, have friends and a long-term girlfriend and yet… You can’t escape those “what if” thoughts when talking to friends and family you left behind. Many people quote a few different lines from this film, but the one that stuck with me, I haven’t seen anyone else use it yet. I believe it was Nora talking to her husband: “For him, I am the one who left. For you, I am the one who stayed.” I am paraphrasing here because I can’t remember, but it was something to that extent and… Yep, these two simple sentences carry so much weight and meaning. No matter what you do after you emigrate and settle somewhere else, to some, you will always be the one who left them.
But most importantly, this is a “mood film”. I can’t stress this enough, you need to let it flow and get into that flow. Past Lives is not a film that will dazzle you with CGI, huge names or a concept you have never seen. It takes its time to tell you this unique story that is easily relatable to many people, and if you let it, it will reward you, in the end. You just need to play by its rules; there is nothing “big” in this film. It’s a quiet, reflective, humane drama about people, and that is the big idea here. It does that so well, and you will struggle to find a movie that feels so earnest.
I briefly mentioned them, but I need to compliment the main three actors (Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro) as they were excellent in their roles. All three can tell/act so much by just looking at the other person. Many of the movie’s best moments happened with little to no dialogue; you simply feel the connection between our protagonists. I must also mention Celine Song again, the writer and director for whom this is her feature debut. And what a strong debut this is. Celine understands what each scene needs when to pull back and say a lot by not saying anything, and she shot the film masterfully. I can’t wait to see what she has for us next, and I hope this movie will unlock many doors for her career.
Overall, Past Lives is one of the best movies of 2023, hands down. It’s a film that asks you to be patient with it as nothing here happens “instantly”. But it rewards you for your patience with a beautifully earnest human story about people who found themselves in this strange situation. I loved everything about this movie, and the further away I am from it, the more I love it because I keep thinking about it with different scenes and pieces of dialogue going through my mind. I can’t recommend it enough especially if you have emigrated before and managed to find a “new life”; this movie will resonate with you on a much deeper level.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke