Every once in a while I decide to dive into the mainstream and watch something I wouldn’t ordinarily watch. Past Lives is a peculiar romantic comedy with hints of drama about childhood sweethearts reconnecting as adults. Right away I have to tell you that nothing much happens in this movie. The pacing is so slow that if it was any slower the story would be going backwards. However, there’s also no melodrama, familiar genre tropes, or gimmicks. And this is something I appreciate very much. No one is going to be running to the airport or crying in the bedroom eating ice cream alone in this movie.
The main story is about Na Young and Hae Sung, two 12-year-olds living in Seoul, South Korea. Their friendship will be cut short when Na Young moves to Canada and leaves Hae Sung behind. And that’s all I’m going to tell you about the plot. As this is a relatively unusual movie, I don’t want to spoil anything for you. Its main theme is the familiar “what could’ve been” concept. What would have happened if you decided to send that risky text? What could’ve happened with that girl from high school if you didn’t have to go to college? These are the questions that will be popping up in your mind the older you get.
I didn’t even think about this stuff when I was younger. I was far too busy with everything. However, once you hit that magical 40 number, you start thinking about these things. Past Lives enables you to implant yourself in one of these situations and think about love and life. The characters are sufficiently developed but also ambiguous enough for you to do this. And the atmosphere is just perfect for this sort of contemplation. The way that camera moves and captures all those little moments you associate with romance. A slight breeze moving curtains in your room while you’re talking to your crush on the phone or anything else you might’ve experienced.
Of course, I don’t need to tell you that all the technical stuff is top-notch. I especially liked the cinematography and the establishing shots. Some of the scenes linger on so beautifully that I wonder why more directors are not using this approach. Since this is a story spanning several decades and continents, it was important to get that city and country vibe right. I know that some of you might wince at this “romantic tale spanning several decades” thing but I assure you that this is not your usual Hollywood movie. Instead of focusing on a lot of small events, it uses just several long scenes to tell its story. And since the dialogue is quite gripping, you’ll hardly notice this.
Featuring a short running time of just 100 minutes, Past Lives is not some sort of a love epic but a thoughtful emotional meditation on life and love. It leaves ample room for reflection and further ruminations about what could’ve been. It also provides you with a satisfying conclusion that this is just life and that you don’t have to fuck everybody you like. You also might take some solace in the concept of In-Yun related to reincarnation and past lives. I’m also not going to bother you too much with stellar performances from our leads Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro.
Ultimately, the reason why I think you should check out Past Lives is because it might wake something up in you. Something that you haven’t felt in a while. I personally really enjoyed this movie and it did wake something up in me. It made me remember how it feels to have this exciting and melancholic romantic longing in you. Like an edging session that never ends. And I’m okay with that. If you’re looking for similar movies, Earthquake Bird starring Alicia Vikander will take you to Japan in the eighties. Finally, I just have to say that I appreciate the fact that these are people with no kids.
Director: Celine Song
Writer: Celine Song
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah, Leem Seung-min, Ji Hye Yoon
Fun Facts: Teo Yeo, who plays Hae Sung, is fluent in English despite his broken pronunciation here. He also speaks German and Korean while Greta Lee had to learn Korean for this movie.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13238346/
