Past Lives
author - theatre director Celine Song ’s feature unveiling , Past Lives , is perfectly sensational . The film ’s fib is simple , but there is so much looker in its layers , its execution , and the heart - sprain and deeply moving connector between its lead characters . Past Livesis incredibly emotional ; it touches on how the passage of time , distance , and dissimilar lifestyles can not break a powerful bond , though it can affect the nature of the relationship .
Nora ( Greta Lee ) and Hae Sung ( Teo Yoo ) are puerility friends in Korea . However , they ’re forced to part ways when Nora ’s kin immigrates to Canada . Twenty - four years later , Hae Sung visits New York City where Nora is now making a living as a dramatist . Twelve years prior , Hae Sung and Nora briefly reconnected online before they break off speak . Now in their mid-30s , Nora and Hae Sung ca n’t deny they ’re sop up together like a moth to a flame . They reminisce about their puerility while getting to do it the people they ’ve become all these years by and by .
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Past Livesexamines the bond between two friends who once had puppy love on each other . fate and different life-time experience have changed them , but there is still something meaningful that keeps them tethered to one another . The pic is soft and poignant in its exploration of what if and what could have been . Song develop Nora and Hae Sung so beautifully ; what they mean to each other scares them both , but they are open and vulnerable in a way they are n’t with others . On a deeper level , Nora and Hae Sung see in one another the tyke they used to be , while respecting each other as adult . They bring out different side to their respective personalities that would otherwise go unexplored .
Song brilliantly crafts a poignant story that will pull at the heartstrings . The film could have easily become excessively sappy , but Song ’s directing is restrict but effervescent , sheer yet soft . The narration ebb off and flows like a cherubic air , one that is full of yearning and untapped potency for its characters . Past Livesis meditative , bringing the audience along for Nora and Hae Sung ’s journey , set aside clock time to contemplate what they ’re seeing . The film pack its clip , steady laying out the story while ply the chance for viewers to genuinely feel the deepness of emotion at every turn .
The craftsmanship displayed throughoutPast Livesis extraordinary , and Song fondly brings the narration to life with soft touch — pregnant pauses linger between Nora and Hae Sung that display everything that move unsaid , while a focal point on their longing , electric looks fetch the emotional weight of the story to the forefront . The film ’s attention toyearning and romanceis magnificent , and its acknowledgment of realism as it relates to metre and how different circumstances can change the course of two people ’s life sentence is tremendous and thoughtful .
Greta Lee and Teo Yoo in Past Lives
Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are incredible and withering in their respective roles . Greta Lee conveys Nora ’s hesitating openness with Hae Sung , along with her inability to be drawn to him time and again . Teo Yoo pervade Hae Sung with sensitivity and an open , gentle love . When the present moment call off for it , they can both be devastating , magical , and warm as their characters oppugn , learn , and drop time with one another . The player ’ chemistry is plainly off the charts and looker will be settle for Nora and Hae Sung ’s romance from the start .
The moving-picture show is n’t ambush by certain , and overused , story traps that would have diminish the film ’s quality . Past Livescontemplates the idea of fate , of the connectedness between two citizenry and what can bond and bring them together in any given lifetime . To say the photographic film is riveting and magnetic would be a godforsaken understatement . Past Liveswill leave one with pilomotor reflex ; it ’s soulful , raw — an unostentatious victory . Song ’s directing and written material is confident , bringing so much gist and nuance to a simple story that is inspiring , ticklish , and evocative .
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Past Livespremiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 21 . The picture is 106 minute long and rated PG-13 for some warm language . It will be released later this class by A24 .
In Past life , childhood sweethearts Na Young and Hae Sung lose contact lens when Na Young ’s family move overseas . Twelve class later , they reconnect through societal medium , but their lives have diverged . As they encounter again , unresolved belief surface , lead to poignant reflections on love , choices , and the complexities of relationships .
