Director: Celine Song
Writer: Celine Song
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro,

One of the most beautiful things that cinema can do is capture real human situations and emotions and embody them in fictional yet recognisable scenarios and characters. But it’s not an easy thing to emulate for any filmmaker. It takes one of particular talent to create a film that can really touch its audience, one that can see things that perhaps the average person can’t. That’s something one might come to expect from a film such a Past Lives, as it follows two closely connected characters that have a relationship and encounter circumstances that will be all too familiar to many audiences. Has writer/director Celine Song created something that people will find themselves immersed in, or is this one you can just let pass you by?

In Seoul, South Korea, in the year 2000, 12-year-old Na Young (Moon Seung-ah) emigrates to Toronto, Canada, with her family, leaving behind her best friend and crush, Hae Sung (Leem Seung-min). 12 years later, Na Young, who now goes by Nora (Lee), and Hae Sung (Yoo) reconnect online. They spend months talking via Skype until Nora decides she needs to focus on her career as a writer and her life in New York, where she now lives. Fast forward another 12 years, and they once again reconnect when Hae Sung makes a trip to New York. But Nora’s life has drastically changed in the years since, and their reunion doesn’t go entirely smoothly.

I’m going to start by getting straight to the point and saying that Song has indeed made a film that deeply resonates, whether viewers have been in the same situation as Nora and Hae Sung or not. It’s like we all share a baseline, as humans, and that baseline is where Song reaches to within us and gently entices out our empathy for the two characters. Their story is one of mixed emotions, and each one is palpable from scene to scene. The dialogue is like poetry, but the scenes in which there is zero dialogue are stunningly directed, particularly scenes which are intensely awkward. We are so quickly and smoothly drawn into the characters’ lives that we cannot help but feel as they do, whether that be their awkwardness, sadness, happiness or what have you. It’s also noticeable that the number 12 is featured very prominently within their lives, and after a little research, it seems to have the meaning of endings and/or new beginnings; a cycle, if you will. This certainly makes sense within the themes of the film, as Nora and Hae Sung wonder about past and future lives and if they’ve met before and maybe will again. It’s very existential and yet grounding at the same time.

As mentioned, there are scenes that feature little to no dialogue, and the direction and cinematography within these scenes speaks volumes about the characters, both in their states of mind and the course of their lives. Certain shots or positioning of actors can help us to see where their lives are going, such as within tracking shots and the physical space between the actors. Their clothes too say a lot about each stage they’re in, for both their lives and the relationship between them. Also, just like the number 12, the number 11 pops up now and again in some scenes, and this number is often seen as representative of two souls entwined, two halves of a whole, or “twin flames”. Again, it really plays on the connection between Nora and Hae Sung, and even if it’s not something you consciously notice, it’s there to add that depth without being too obvious. To add to that, the beautiful scenes of the different cities the characters find themselves in work to almost juxtapose the feelings of loneliness, belonging and regret – so many people dream of finding themselves in a big (often famous) city, working the job of their dreams, but at what cost?

As gorgeous as the writing and direction are, it helps that the roles of Nora and Hae Sung were perfectly cast with actors who really brought them to life, to the point where at times I felt uncomfortable, as though I was intruding on a private moment. Lee brings so much strength to Nora but also hints at her real hidden emotions through body language or just a look in her eyes. We see how the character develops and grows but also clings to something that she won’t even let herself in on. Yoo absolutely steals the show with his performance. Hae Sung’s awkwardness and inability to speak his mind is heartbreaking at times, to the point of feeling real pity for him. Just like Lee, Yoo is able to tell us so much about his character without speaking a word. Magaro’s character Arthur is integral to Nora and Hae Sung’s story, as without him, there may have been no story (or there would have been, but it would likely be much shorter and with a different ending, without giving too much away). Magaro adds an extra layer to the scenes he features in with Lee and Yoo that really give it that depth and heft to make the film all that more authentic, as well as making sure Arthur is his own person and not just there for the sake of adding drama.

Past Lives is a romance film, but not like you might think. It dramatises the bare emotional reality of life and the consequences of the paths we choose. Sometimes the path we choose, even if it is the right one, means sacrifices must be made, and we come to realise we don’t always get everything in the end. But this unsatisfactory type of ending in life has had us questioning, ever since we’ve had the emotional intelligence to question anything, if what we’ve had is really all there is to it. Have we experienced a previous life? Will we get to live another? And, most importantly in this film, will we get another chance to take the path we didn’t choose? Past Lives is the kind of film that leaves a mark, emotionally and philosophically, and leaves us with questions about our own lives and making decisions on what is most important to us. Truly it is up there for me as one of the greatest unconventional love stories, along with the likes of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy and Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine. As a debut feature film, Song has really hit her mark, and it’s very exciting to see the BAFTA and Academy Awards that Past Lives is up for. Very well-deserved nominations indeed.