Past Lives

 

Past Lives

Writer & Director ~ Celine Song

2023 ~ United States, South Korea

Stars ~ Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro

In her interview with Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo, Celine Song spoke of timing the music to come in a little later than usual, so that the reaction is already established rather than guided by the score. And Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen’s score is a great one. Similarly, the film’s accumulation of emotion and observation creeps up on you until you find it has dug in deeper than you realised.

The three leads are exceptional: Greta Lee’s charm, sparkiness and innate intelligence; Teo Yoo’s Korean masculinity, gentleness and unspoken longing; John Magaro’s decency and insecurities in conflict, trying to decide whether to be bruised but doing the right thing… The pillow talk scene where Arthur (Magaro) and Nora (Lee) talk about his diffidence concerning the sudden triangle they find themselves in is a highlight. Other moments such as Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) not quite coming clean with his motivation to his mates or killing time in a strange city until he finally gets to reunite all strike chords of truth about the loneliness of unresolved longing, friendships and partnerships. All the rom-com signifiers are there, but it is a film that never feels superficial or cheap with sentiment. 

The fact that all three protagonists are honourable, warm, mature adults means that the feeling comes from still visible possibilities and alternatives that never were, rather than melodrama. Without shouting or throwing its toys around ~ preferring extended takes, unintrusive camerawork and several pretty compositions ~ the film is a grown-up portrait of people negotiating and examining what their relationships mean. Its emotional kick come from the other film you are creating in your head as you fill in the gaps. When the film flirts with the Korean concept of inyeon ~ where the connection between people is predestined and built on multiple reincarnations (yes: past lives) ~ it comes as a half-believed relief for characters that take comfort in imagining they would be in a different film.

‘Past Lives’ is ultimately a subtle and positive film about the effect we have on one another where even the things that didn’t happen are worth shedding a bittersweet tear for.