Past Lives
Overview
Past Lives is a 2023 romantic drama film written and directed by Celine Song in her directorial debut. The film is a semi-autobiographical story about two childhood friends from South Korea who reconnect over two decades. The film opens in present-day New York City, where Nora (Greta Lee) sits in a bar with her white American husband Arthur (John Magaro) and a Korean man named Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). The film then flashes back to 24 years earlier in Seoul, where 12-year-old Nora and Hae Sung are close friends. They like each other, but they are too young to understand their feelings. Nora's family emigrates to Toronto, and they lose touch. Twelve years later, Nora is a playwright in New York. Hae Sung, who has just finished his military service, finds her on Facebook. They reconnect over Skype, and they talk for hours, developing an intense emotional connection. But both know they cannot be together — Nora is focused on her career, and Hae Sung is in Korea. They stop talking. Another 12 years pass. Hae Sung, now an engineer, has a girlfriend he does not love. He decides to visit Nora in New York, to see her one time and to understand what might have been. The film follows their two days together in New York, walking through the city, talking about their lives, and confronting the question of "in-yun" — a Korean concept about the fate of connections between people across lifetimes. Nora is happy in her marriage to Arthur, a good, supportive man who feels insecure about Hae Sung. Hae Sung is kind, gentle, and still in love with Nora. The film is quiet, subtle, and devastatingly emotional. The final scene, where Hae Sung gets into a taxi and Nora walks home to Arthur, and they both cry, is heartbreaking. They choose the lives they have built over the life they could have had. Past Lives was a critical sensation, earning over $42 million worldwide on a $12 million budget. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The film is a beautiful meditation on love, timing, and the lives we leave behind.
