A
film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on July 16, 2023. This review could be considered to contain spoilers.
Past Lives is quietly powerful
– an understated examination of longing, connection, and unconsummated love. In
the way it plays with concepts like fate and soul mates, it is sort-of an anti-Sleepless in Seattle. There’s something
bittersweet yet reassuring about the way the movie approaches its central
relationship. Many of the beats and emotions are universal even if the story is
specific to these characters and their circumstances. And, by relying on long,
lingering takes and non-verbal moments, first-time director Celine Song captures details that a
more hurried approach would gloss over. The climactic encounter between the
leads, so pregnant with unspoken feelings that are apparent in their body
language, reminded me of the final sequence of Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, the greatest of the silent
star’s repertoire.
Song’s
overall approach recalls Wong Kar-Wai’s In
the Mood for Love. Although less reflective and more grounded, Past Lives evokes some of the same
feelings. Perhaps one reason why the film works as well as it does is because
it encapsulates a reality that most romantic movies ignore in their quest for
box office gold and happily ever after
endings. Past Lives acknowledges the
longing, dreaming, and barrage of what
ifs while recognizing that there is no one true path to contentment.
Past Lives opens in the present
day (2022) with an unseen couple observing the interactions among three people sitting
at a bar: Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), Nora (Greta Lee), and Arthur (John Magaro). Noting the seeming
intimacy between Hae Sung and Nora and the way in which Arthur seems to be an
outsider, the observers wonder about the relationships between the two Asians
and their Caucasian companion. Although they will never know the truth, the movie
proceeds to inform viewers.
The
time frame jumps back 22 years to the turn of the century and the location
switches from New York City to South Korea. We meet a young Hae Sung (Seung Min Yim) and Nora (who goes by
her Korean name of Na Young, and is played by Seung Ah Moon), who are best friends. Every day, they walk home
from school together and compete to see who can get the best grades on tests.
Their friendship is severed when Na Young’s parents decide to immigrate to
Toronto. They lose touch but neither completely forgets the other. A dozen
years pass and in 2012 Hae Sung decides to find Nora, who is now living in New York.
The two reconnect via Skype and become obsessed with on-line chats.
Long-distance romantic sparks fly but Hae Sung won’t commit to visiting New
York and Nora has no interest in returning to her homeland. Recognizing the
futility of pursuing a relationship, Nora suggests that they no longer talk.
Fast-forwarding another 10 years, the narrative comes to the present where
circumstances have changed for both parties. Hae Sung has just broken up with a
long-term girlfriend and decided to come to New York to visit Nora, who is
married to Arthur. When the two old friends meet face-to-face for the first
time in 22 years, the romantic tension is palpable. The connection is so strong
that it worries Arthur, but both Nora and Hae Sung attempt to reassure him
that, whatever exists between them, Hae Sung has not come to ruin their
marriage. Hae Sung believes it. Nora believes it. But, as impartial viewers, do
we?
The
title comes from the concept of in-yun,
which suggests that when a person encounters another person and has even a brief
interaction, it means they have met in a past life. Lovers have an even deeper
connection, having met repeatedly in past lives. The implication is that,
although Hae Sung and Na Young are destined not to be with each other in this
life, they may have been together in an earlier life and/or could potentially
be together in the future.
The
emotions roiling beneath the surface of this seemingly placid drama make
watching it an intense and involving experience. The acting by Greta Lee and
Teo Yoo emphasizes all the underlying things transpiring just beneath the
dialogue and interpersonal interactions. Parts of Past Lives are in Korean, and there are subtitles, but no subtitles are needed to read body
language. Many movies have been made that explore the sweet anguish
accompanying unrequited love but few films explore requited but repressed
emotions this deeply. Although the movie is primarily told from Nora’s
perspective, Past Lives takes the
time to flesh out both Hae Sung and Arthur’s characters. In Casablanca, which plumbs a
not-dissimilar triangle, Rick and Ilsa will always have Paris. In Past Lives, Hae Sung and Na Young will
always have Korea. And, perhaps in another lifetime, they can have more.
[Berardinelli’s rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars]
Blogger's comment: The concept of in-yun, of the possibility of two souls having known each other in the past, or even being soulmates, is at the foundation of my romantic drama Sarah and David - the Sequel.
Labels:
drama, romance
IMDb 79/100
MetaScore (critics=94, viewers=83)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=91, viewers=84)
Blu-ray
James Berardinelli’s review (3.5 out of 4 stars)
Maggie McPhee's review