Photo credit: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/past-lives-review-greta-lee-celine-song-1235310132/
What is the difference between being attracted to someone and missing them? When there are so many possibilities in life, how does the path taken impact the ones lost? How much can one love when they’re younger? Does matters of the heart stop when cultures stop connecting? Past lives raise a lot of questions like this with a recurring theme of fate in relationships, or in other words known as In Yun – A buddhist philosophical term introduced in the film.
In its slow pace, the story follows Na Young (Greta Lee) from being a 12 year old, crushing over a boy at school, to an adult who carries a different identity from the child she left behind when she left her hometown, South Korea. Over the course of the film we watch her make practical mature decisions rather than emotional ones, gradually detaching from the person she was to make room for the person she is turning out to be. The boy, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), that she crushes over as a 12 year old, keeps pursuing her through the years. Once, after 12 years since her departure, where they connect when Na Young is a playwright in New York, and Hae Sung, an engineering student back in Seoul, South Korea. They reconnect over facebook, and it’s an instant connection, as if she’d never left. There are sweet moments between them of youthful budding attraction and longing, which can be seen through their skype calls that gradually end in mutual agreement. Fast forward 12 years later, Hae Sung decides to visit Na Yong in New York. This time Na Yong aka Nora, is married to an American man, Arthur (John Magaro). Whom she has a cordial and amicable relationship with.
The film is loosely based on the director’s, Celine Song, own life. The basis of the story started when Song found herself between her husband and childhood sweetheart at a New York Bar at four in the morning. Which is also the opening scene of the movie. This is a debut film for Song, as she is a playwright by profession.
The cinematography is delightful as it captures the slow pace of the everyday ordinary mundane details in a subtle yet impeccable way. The camera focuses more on characters’ facial emotions and the play of body language. The frames capture the feelings of nostalgia, and loneliness entrancingly. When Hae Sung and Nora come together for the first time, the silences and looks are expressed almost seductively to the viewers, leaving them in apprehension of possibilities and the tension in the non-possibilities.
Greta Lee’s acting in the film is substantial, but in most of the scenes her expressions come out sharper than the role anticipated. Most of the time, this transpires into an almost condescending and arrogant look that doesn’t give the viewer much room to like her character. Teo Yoos portrayal of Hae Sung is beautiful and makes you feel the gentlemanly boyish charm that the character supposedly holds. Unfortunately, John Magaro’s character is almost forgettable. This could be the portrayal of how Arthur is meant to be, but he is almost outshined by Greta Lee’s larger than life acting. When he stands in a scene with Teo Yoo and Greta Lee, his presence just about becomes invisible. If this is what the movie was trying to portray, it did a good job, but it would have been great to see more substance from one of the prominent characters.
The film might be categorized as a romance but it is not a love story. It is a complex relationship between oneself. Trying to hold on to a place that is completely detached from the person they’ve become. The feelings of missing a childhood, the place that once was, through a person. It’s a story about choosing to let go of the past in order to obtain a future. It touches on themes of immigrant intricacies, self-love, ambition, independence and fate. “It’s like planting two trees in a pot. Our roots need to find their place,” Na Yong mentions this to Hae Sung about hers and Arthur’s relationship, almost as an affirmation to indicate where she chose to plant herself.
All characters are almost too perfect for one to grasp the reality of it all. Except for the first few minutes of the movie – during their childhood – where we see family dynamics, emotions, music and character on every shot; onwards it loses complexity. The rest of the movie becomes quietly hollow. Even Na Yong, whom the audience are meant to see the world through her eyes, lacks context. In the beginning the viewers see a sweet budding relationship between her and her sister, who then goes on to completely disappear. The only connection between Na Yong and her mother is when they speak on the phone – a conversation that lacked subject. Similarly, there is a scene where Na yong asks Hae Sung to watch a specific movie, but then again, it does not add to emotions or the story. Every other person that comes to frame is almost like a shadow that is put there for the sake of the narrative. I also found the ending to be completely detached to the beginning, lacking the well-roundedness of a proper film. In my opinion, there was a lot of showing in places where there’s a need for telling, and a lot of telling where there is a need for showing.
After its premiere at the Sundance film Festival in January, 2023, the film went on to win two awards at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, for both best feature and best director. It also received five nominations, including two Oscars, for best picture and best screenplay. And has since received many critical acclaims on well known platforms like The Guardian, New York Times and others.
Farha Mukhashin 