Amidst the ashes of an atomic bomb explosion in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and the pink sparkling paradise of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (together dubbed as Barbenheimer summer phenomenon) comes a quiet little love story from debuting playwright turned first-time filmmaker Celine Song. Past Lives is an accomplished slow-burn romance about star-crossed souls spanning decades and across continents, which may remind you of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy but compressed into a single film. The story centers around two childhood sweethearts who meet once again later as adults, living totally different lives, and confront their own notions of love and lost chances.
The film opens in a New York bar with a gazing long shot of the three main characters: Nora (Greta Lee), Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), and Arthur (John Magano). Nora and Hae Sung are talking to each other attentively, while the other guy Arthur just silently looks on. Off screen, two background patrons wonder how the trio are related to each other. Are the Asian duo a couple or siblings? Is the white guy the boyfriend of the Asian woman? It’s these questions, and the tangling relationships of these three people, that Song explores and attempts to unravel for the rest of the film.
After this prologue we then travel back 24 years, where Na Young (Nora’s original name) and Hae Sung enjoy a flourishing competitive friendship. Everything is full of hope and promise for the two school friends, with Na Young even declaring that she’ll marry him one day. That friendship is short-lived, however, as Na Young’s artistic family has decided to emigrate to Canada, separating the two sweethearts. Her mother grants her the courtesy to spend her last days in South Korea with Hae Sung, which they make the most of. On their final day together, Hae Sung reluctantly says goodbye.
Twelve years later, Nora is now a 24-year-old aspiring playwright. Settled in her new life, Nora suddenly discovers that Hae Sung, now an engineering student, has been looking for her. And the two former friends inevitably reunite through Facebook. As if no time has passed, Nora and Hae Sung quickly rekindle their relationship, with their chemistry so palpable it comes out through their laptop screens. They talk about everything almost daily on Skype across different timezones, until one day, Nora realizes that she needs to focus on achieving her dream career. The once smooth virtual connection now breaking down, the two bid each other farewell, fracturing their relationship once again.
In one scene, Nora explains to Arthur during a creative retreat the Korean concept of in-yun, a belief which suggests that the spiritual connection between people are a result of their countless interactions from their past lifetimes. It’s at this point that Past Lives may seem like it will go the route of the tired “destined for each other” trope mixed with a love-triangle element that conventional films do. And there are lots of instances throughout the film that the screenplay might resort to doing something dumb just to get that happy ending. However, Song is adamant in exploring how people change over time, and in accordance with their current circumstances. She’s interested in why the couple seems bound by destiny, and yet somehow can’t be together.
Back to the present day, Nora is now an established playwright living in New York, and married to Arthur. But when she meets Hae Sung again, things feel deceptively familiar and yet frighteningly different. As the two tour around New York, they discuss the what-ifs and what-could’ve-beens of their relationship in the past decades. Of course, the cast does an incredible performance, especially the duo of Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, who convey heavy emotions of inner guilt and conflict with simple gestures and subtle body shifts.
It’s honestly hard to believe that this is Song’s debut film, in which she displays her masterful craftsmanship in exploring the themes of love, fate, and providence. There are no heroes and villains in this love story, just three people coming to terms with past regrets while still being hopeful for the possibilities ahead of them. Arguably the most affecting romance film I’ve seen in years, Past Lives is a philosophical, aching tale about a love that will never come to fruition, one that will only live as a quiet yearning. Celine Song has a bright film career ahead of her.
Rating:
The Talking Screen 