A review of the new film “Past Lives”
At a time when so many films are sequels, prequels or remakes, it’s so refreshing to welcome an original story told in an original way.I’m reminded of “The Farewell” (2019) which was written and directed by a Chinese-American, set largely in China, with most of the dialogue in Mandarin. “Past Lives” (2023) is written and directed by a Korean-Canadian (a wonderfully-assured Celine Song in her debut feature film), alternates between Seoul and New York, with use of Korean most of the time. Both works are semi-autobiographical and explore cultural differences between Asia and America.
A key theme in this movie is the Korean concept of inyeon which is the notion that fate determines how relationships form over many lifetimes. In the case of this story, the two intersecting lives are those of Na Young aka Nora (a captivating Greta Lee) and her childhood friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). A complication is Nora’s New York Jewish husband Arthur (John Magaro).
There is not so much dialogue, so the city scenes and the haunting score (from composers Danial Rossen and Christopher Bear) can be enjoyed as the characters gently interact. Told in three segments 12 years apart, this is an achingly tender tale of love and loss that is highly commended.