Past Lives – An Emotional Rollercoaster That Packs a Punch

While films come in different shapes and sizes, and budgets, great stories live on and continue to resonate with audiences long after the credits roll. There was perhaps no bigger hyped film going into this year’s Sundance Film Festival than Past Lives, where it unsurprisingly lived up to that hype. Now, the rest of audiences get to see the film as the it has finally reached a wide release. Though it may seem simple on the surface, it is a roller coaster that will almost certainly play with one’s emotions in both good and bad ways. A powerful story of love and loss, strong writing and vision from Celine Song in her feature writing and directorial debut carry a film with an uncanny ability to imbue so much emotion through the smallest of moments and shots. Beautifully shot, the one element that ties it all together is a trio of exceptional performances from Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro and their great chemistry. However, holding the film back albeit slightly is more character development early on to better sell the arcs over the course of the story. That being said, it is understandable in the grand scheme of the narrative and the aforementioned performances do help to bridge that gap.

Past Lives follows the complicated relationship of Nora (Lee) and Hae Sung (Yoo), a pair of childhood friends, over several decades. Close since childhood, the first true breaking point of their friendship was the sudden news that Nora and her family were suddenly emigrating from South Korea, wrestling the two apart. It would have been nice to spend a little more time with them in those early stages, however, the suddenness of Nora’s departure makes sense in terms of the overarching story and was nevertheless impactful. Going their separate ways, there was certainly some unfinished business between them to be resolved in one way or another. Making lives for one another, they became much different people from when they saw each other last but that unfinished business was a cloud that loomed over them. As Nora moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer and playwright, Hae Sung became an engineer in Seoul. Watching them live their lives, one can’t help but think of what could have been or what still can be.

Time became yet another character in the story as it played a part in how Nora and Hae Sung grew and evolved as characters. Hae Sung took Nora’s departure hard. Missing her so much, he wanted to find her and twelve years later, he did which led to one of many powerful moments. Finding each other online, they did not miss a beat as it was compelling to see Nora and Hae Sung open up to one another as they helped each other to feel less alone. It was clear how much the latter missed Nora; however, he was also a bridge between her life and the life she left behind. Though she wasn’t the person who left South Korea, it appeared that she wasn’t ready to deal with a wave of feelings that came streaming back, finding herself in a tug-of-way of sorts between her past and her future. The will-they-or-won’t-they question had to wait as the circumstances just weren’t right. And with that, Nora and Hae Sung’s reunion was cut short as they went their separate ways once again. Married to another writer named Arthur (Magaro) for whom she built a life with, Nora was happy.

After another decade with Arthur, that same wave of feelings came streaming back within Nora as she and Hae Sung reunited face-to-face for the first time in over 20 years as he visited her in New York City. Spending time together, that unfinished business and many of the unanswered questions that loomed over them came full circle as they addressed their feelings for one another as they reminisced about their lives and what could have been. Closely connect all of their lives, the notion of fate and destiny was hard to ignore for Nora and Hae Sung as well as for audiences. Meanwhile, with the arrival of Hae Sung, Arthur found himself as an outsider to their relationship and a victim of the language barrier. Instead of being a cliché hurdle or mere stepping stone, the film plays that situation with some nuance to help audiences understand his perspective. Arthur was aware of where he stood but he loved Nora enough to make it work for her so she can get closure. All of this wasn’t easy for her as she and Hae Sung still had feelings for each other. As they finally got closure, it may not exactly have been what they were looking for as the film ended on a heartbreaking note and it earned that emotion every step of the way.

One of the many highlights of Past Lives, other than the writing and directing, was the spectacular performances of its main trio of Lee, Yoo, and Magaro as Nora, Hae Sung, and Arthur. The former two are the undisputed heart of the film, pulling audiences into their many decade long friendship and all the ups and downs along the way. While they saw their fair share of adversity over the years, they cared for one another. Growing and evolving as characters, those feelings continued to loom over Nora and Hae Sung which only made for more depth for which they were up to the task. Moving forward as Nora with that internal conflict brewing below the surface, Lee was nothing short of impressive as those feelings came trickling to the surface. Yoo was equally as impressive with Hae Sung and his longing for connection. He cared for Nora and arguably wanted more out of their relationship. Though his struggle was mostly internal, however, his actions spoke volumes. Magaro was likeable as a sympathetic husband who wanted to support his wife. Staying out of the way of Lee and Yoo, there could have definitely been more to Arthur but he made an impact in his limited screen time.

At the end of the day, Past Lives is something that is going to be hard to forget.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.