'Past Lives' is a gorgeous film about missed connections, what ifs and how destiny shapes us
'Past Lives' comes out June 9 in select theatres across Canada
(Greta Lee and Teo Yoo star in Past Lives. Photo credit: A24)
The premise of Past Lives feels as if it’s going to unfold like a typical romantic drama.
It’s a story of two childhood friends and sweethearts who are separated after one of them emigrates to Canada. Though decades later, they find themselves reunited in the same city, confronting their destinies and choices that led them to where they are now as adults.
If it were like any of the shows I love binging on Netflix, Past Lives would feature a dramatic car chase, tearful goodbyes in the rain and a heartfelt confession.
Except there’s none of that here in the movie. Rather, Past Lives is much quieter and realistic than what we normally see on the big screen. And as a result, it’s what makes Celine Song’s feature debut such a compelling watch.
The movie is shot in both South Korea and New York, with little hints of Song’s own Toronto upbringing sprinkled in. The film is set over the course of 24 years, and begins in South Korea where Hae Sung and Nora are schoolmates and childhood sweethearts. They part ways when Nora’s family eventually moves away to Toronto, leaving the pair without a proper goodbye and closure of what their future together looks like.
Twelve years later, the pair reconnect over social media while Nora (played by an understated Greta Lee) pursues a masters degree in writing in New York and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) has just completed his mandatory military service in South Korea. But frustrated by the distance between them, the pair eventually stop talking for a period of time in order to pursue their careers and move on with their lives.
It takes another 12 years until Nora and Hae Sung reunite again, when the latter visits New York for vacation. By then, each have settled into their separate lives and relationships. Nora is married to a fellow writer named Arthur (John Magaro). And Hae Sung is an engineer who has since decided to go on a break from his girlfriend.
Over the course of the week, Nora and Hae Sung relive old memories, discuss their dreams and goals, but also contemplate the what ifs in their lives.
A common theme of the pair’s conversations revolve around the Korean concept of inyun, which means the ties between two people over the course of their lives and past histories. Were they lovers, enemies or simply, friends? And throughout the film, you find yourself as an audience member wondering the same until the very end.
“The reason why I wanted to introduce this concept in the film is because I think the only way you could really describe Hae Sung and Nora’s relationship is inyun,” Song said in a recent Q&A about Past Lives at Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox.
“They’re not really exes, and they’re not really lovers. But somehow, I think there’s some ineffable connections in our lives where it does endure through time and space somehow, and you kind of keep staying connected to them. Or every time you see them, it feels like you've been talking to each other every day.”
While it may seem unrealistic, Past Lives is largely based on a story from Song’s own life, after she found herself reconnecting with her childhood sweetheart as an adult. That reunion ended up inspiring Song to write what would become her very first screenplay even though she is a playwright by trade.
(Photo credit: A24)
In fact, Past Lives could have well been set on the stage, as scenes from the film play out in a format not dissimilar to Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset series. But ultimately, Song felt it was best to write her story for the big screen.
“I think that I knew that this story needed to be told on screen because it is a movie that spans decades and spans all continents. It also has to capture a person in three parts of their lives, one of which is childhood,” Song said.
“I think those are the things that made it really clear to me that the best medium for it actually isn't the theatre, it actually was on film. So I think that really was the initial impulse.”
(Korean-Canadian director Celine Song brings Past Lives to her hometown of Toronto)
What struck me personally about Past Lives was also the dynamic between the leads, but also how they included Nora’s husband Arthur into the mix. Nora brings the two men in her life together for drinks in the bar. Played lovingly by Magaro, Arthur is a man who is considerate of his wife’s desire to reconnect with her childhood friend, but also wears his heart on his sleeve and openly worries that he doesn’t always know what she really wants from her life with him.
And while the trio’s initial meeting is awkward and uncomfortable at first, there are no expressions of hurt, jealousy or possessiveness between them. Instead, what become of their conversations together ultimately becomes a deeper understanding of one another despite language and cultural barriers.
“To me, it was about three people who's treating each other really carefully,” Song said.
“The thing that I was pursuing in the movie is the drama that can emerge from adults, but also ordinary people being able to behave in an extraordinarily loving way where you don't really put your own needs and your own desires first because you love the other person and know that that's something the other person needs.”
According to Song, this interaction was inspired by a real scene that happened between her now husband and childhood friend. And during that time, she found herself translating between two guys, being a bridge to people “who have no reason to know each other.”
“Just by being myself I was portal for them. I was a way for them to get to know each other. I felt there was something amazing about it,” she said.
(Greta Lee, John Magaro and Teo Yoo in Past Lives. Photo credit: A24)
Since Past Lives made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, it has garnered critical acclaim for Song’s simplistic yet emotionally rich story and acting performances by Lee, Yoo and Magaro.
Lee, who is often known for playing kooky and eccentric comedic characters in shows like Girls and Russian Doll, was by far the biggest surprise. She is restrained yet commands the screen as Nora, which the LA Times calls a “career-making performance.”
And while it may seem easy to dismiss Magaro for playing your typical “white liberal arts husband” married to an Asian woman, I actually found myself interrogating my own ideas of Nora and Arthur’s relationship as it plays out on screen. In fact, a conversation between the pair even has Magaro expressing his desire to know more about Nora’s upbringing and Korean heritage because “it makes his world so much bigger.”
The only thing I would have loved to see more in this story was Nora and Hae Sung’s lives after they are separated. What was Nora’s life in Canada like? Or Hae Sung’s teenage years?
There are moments where the second half of this film feel rushed, and the audience is left to fill in the blanks themselves. Still, it’s not enough to detract from a brilliantly and beautifully told story. If anything, the incredibly strong and impactful ending of Past Lives is worth staying for alone. And if I’m being honest, I’m afraid I’ll be thinking about it for quite some time.
In other news…
EXO’s Baekhyun, Xiumen and Chen file antitrust complaint against SM Entertainment
EXO members Baekhyun, Xiumen and Chen have filed an antitrust complaint against their agency SM Entertainment over “unfair” contract terms.
Since last week, the trio have been in a dispute with the major Korean entertainment agency over their excessively long contract durations and an alleged lack of transparency in financial settlements. According to their lawyer, Baekhyun, Xiumen and Chen have 12 to 13 year contracts, which are notably longer than the standard government-recommended seven-year contract.
Meanwhile, SM Entertainment has refuted the singers’ complaints, saying their contracts were fair and justified.
Despite the ongoing dispute, Baekhyun, Xiumen and Chen have stated their intentions to continue taking part as members of EXO. “However this legal battle concludes, we will faithfully and diligently continue our group activities under the band EXO,” the trio said.
Halsey and Suga team up for Diablo IV track
Halsey is bringing BTS member Suga along to help rework their track “Lilith” for the video game Diablo IV. And as creepy the music video looks, all I can say is …this takes me back to my emo/screamo high school days!
The track was originally part of Halsey’s 2021 album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. Halsey performed “Lilith” last December at the 2022 Game Awards and revealed that a new version of Diablo would be releasing June 6.
“As soon as Diablo 4 was announced, I knew I wanted to be a part of the lead-up and launch. Lilith is such an influence on my own art and has informed so many characteristics of my alter-ego,” they said. “My family has spent many hours together in Sanctuary over the years, so I am here as a fan and as a collaborator.”
Seventeen to re-release their past albums
Fresh from celebrating their eighth anniversary, Seventeen will be re-releasing eight of their albums.
The out-of-print albums will be coming out on Monday, June 26th. Below are the list of albums that will be on sale:
SEVENTEEN 1st Mini Album “17 CARAT”
SEVENTEEN 2nd Mini Album “BOYS BE” (HIDE Ver. / SEEK Ver.)
SEVENTEEN 1ST ALBUM [FIRST “LOVE & LETTER”] (LOVE Ver. / LETTER Ver.)
SEVENTEEN Love&Letter Repackage Album
SEVENTEEN 3rd Mini Album “Going Seventeen” (Make A Wish Ver. / Make It Happen Ver. / Make The Seventeen Ver.)
SEVENTEEN 4th Mini Album “Al1” (Alone Ver. / Al1 Ver. / All Ver.)
SEVENTEEN 2ND ALBUM “TEEN, AGE” (WHITE Ver. / GREEN Ver. / ORANGE Ver. / RS Ver.)
SEVENTEEN SPECIAL ALBUM “DIRECTOR’S CUT” (PLOT Ver. / SUNSET Ver.)
The 13-piece group also announced dates for their upcoming tour in Japan later this year, which will see them hitting cities including Tokyo, Saitama, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka. Now one (aka me) wonders when the rest of the world tour is going to be….
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Past Lives sounds amazing and also like it will make me cry a lot!