Written and Directed by: Celine Song
Starring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
4.5/5 ★★★★✬
[May contain spoilers]
As I am writing this, an unusual calm has taken over me, a far cry from the swift pace that normally characterizes my life. I have attempted to write something about this multiple times, but each time, I got drowned with emotions producing an incoherent mess. It is not a movie review in the traditional sense; it is more of a journey into the deep recesses of the heart and the emotions it has painted within me. It has been a while since a movie tugged at the heartstrings so delicately like PAST LIVES did. So, here it goes… my last attempt.
PAST LIVES is a delicate exploration of the ties that bind us to our past and the possibilities of what might have been. Director Celine Song weaves a poignant narrative around Nora (Greta Lee), a woman who emigrated from South Korea at a young age, leaving behind her childhood love, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). Their stories diverge and converge over the years, knitting together a beautifully complex tapestry that poignantly explores the themes of fate, choice, and identity, in a world where the past remains as unpredictable and volatile as the future.
The film's narrative structure is akin to the movement of celestial bodies, with Hae Sung orbiting Nora with the regularity of a comet, illuminating layers of regret, longing, and the heartrending complexity of human relationships. The closer he comes to Nora, the more intricate the fabric of her existence becomes, weaving a deeply moving narrative of destiny and love.
Song's directorial debut strikes an exquisite balance of crushing sadness and comforting resolve. It presents a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, a reconciliation of 'what is', 'what was', and 'what could have been'. Nora is a conduit for this exploration, her character layered with profound questions of cultural identity and belonging. Her connection with Hae Sung brings forth a sense of grief for a past life that is simultaneously foreign and integral to her being.
PAST LIVES encapsulates the bittersweet essence of the Korean concept of inyun—fate, intention, and consequence, akin to a reincarnation-bridging butterfly effect. The relationship between Nora and Hae Sung is consequential despite its brevity, embodying the enchanting magic of human connections that shape the course of our lives. It is a testament to the act of braving life’s currents together, a defiance against the inevitable passage of time.
Nora's journey is not one of being caught between East and West or between two loves. It is a journey of choices made and consequences lived. As we follow her through time, we are reminded of our own struggles with the dichotomy of regrets and realities, the magnetic pull between what was and what is.
In its quiet yet powerful exploration of human emotions, PAST LIVES is a beacon of poignant storytelling. It is a bittersweet symphony of longing and acceptance, of the haunting beauty of our past, and of the exquisite pain of not being able to have it all. The film’s narrative ebbs and flows with an almost ethereal grace, painting a beautiful, heartrending portrait of life, love, and the haunting echo of past lives. In its delicate depiction of human relationships and profound questions of ‘what-ifs’, "Past Lives" is a masterstroke of emotive cinema, a testament to the power of storytelling that resonates long after the credits roll.
“When you leave something behind, you gain something too”
