Past Lives – Review

Release Date – 8th September 2023, Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 46 minutes, Director – Celine Song

Having emigrated from South Korea to Canada as a child, Nora (Greta Lee) reunites various times with childhood friend Tae Sung (Teo Yoo), reminding each other of what, if anything, could have been

Past Lives is an extremely naturalistic piece of work. The closest it gets to fantasy is the giddy elation of receiving a small message from someone close, or one that you’ve been looking forward to. It’s a small spring in your step, but the day seems brighter because of it. As Nora (Greta Lee) reunites with childhood friend Tae Sung (Teo Yoo) on Facebook after having left South Korea to move with her family to Canada at a young age. The contact from someone who has apparently been looking for her for years seems to lead her to almost dance down the street in pure elation, looking forward to a proper conversation.

The film charts their relationship and two key meetings, each 12 years apart from when they last saw each other, where things gradually reveal themselves to not be as shiny as they initially seem. There’s increasing hesitancy from both parties when it comes to conversation, one unsure of what to say, the other unsure of if they even want to be there. Reminding each other of what, if anything, could have been – and if it would have even worked out at all, are these figures just ghosts from past lives?

“He was this kid in my head, then this image on a laptop, now he’s a physical person” Nora explains in a mixture of confusions to her American partner Arthur (John Magaro) whilst stood in their New York apartment when Tae Sung comes to visit the country. As the film delves into identity and how that plays into Nora’s feelings about her life and the situation she finds herself in – around others she feels Korean, but with Tae Sung she feels very American – the performances speak louder about the internal feelings of the characters. Writer-director Celine Song gets some excellent performances from her cast with plenty of poignancy and thought, boosted by the natural feel of the whole piece. This is a film that allows subtle character details to speak volumes as they come into play during a scene.

Song’s direction throughout is filled with subtleties within her shot choice. While there are plenty of shots which linger to allow the detail to be drunk in you wish you could pause to either dive into them or simply stare at the picturesque images for longer. Even a key tracking shot, one of the most powerful moments in the final stages of the film, is packed with emotion and change as the film briefly reflects on its events. It may take its time, but the run-time flies by feeling under 90 minutes than anything closer to two hours. The best shots revolve around the idea of farewells, one chapter closing as the characters enter another; all for the past to somehow come back and stir thoughts in their minds as to whether certain chapters were ever really finished, or rather books closed.

Such themes are at the core of Past Lives which glides through its personal dramas with plenty of effective subtleties to draw you in. Excellently observed in its portrayal of feelings and emotions, both hidden and visual, there’s a lot to unpack in the moment for both audience and characters – although the central duo appear at times reluctant to acknowledge what might be clearly there. With this Past Lives builds upon itself and expands its emotional core to great effect all while managing to remain naturalistic, engaging and refined in its depictions.

Past Lives is a film built upon subtleties. An emotional depiction of uncertainty, reluctance and regret with two strong leading performances to convey such themes in addition to Celine Song’s excellent direction. There’s something satisfying in the way it poses questions it knows there may not be an answer to.