Watched June 8th, 2023
Past Lives is hands down the best movie that I have watched this year so far. A24 again has knocked it out of the park with this release. It is such a beautiful exploration of fate and how we deal with the cards we are dealt in everyday life. This is Celine Song's directorial debut, and she crafts such a masterpiece where we explore a scenario where the two main characters are destined for each other. We get a perfect screenplay by Song that is beautifully acted by the three leads in this movie, where they deliver subtle but deeply meaningful performances.
This story centers around Nora (Greta Lee) who grew up in South Korea and at a young age has a childhood sweetheart Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) and they connect on every level. They walk home from school together, have little dates at the park. Nora's family eventually moves to Canada and Nora eventually in her adult life moves to Manhattan. Nora eventually reconnects with Hae Sung over the internet, but she wants to move on from him in her "new life" in America. But then Hae Sung eventually comes to New York which leads to them reconnecting that brings new emotions and brings back old ones. It perfectly describes relationships and the passage of time that is so heartbreaking and brought me to tears.
I would like to take a moment and talk about the performances in the movie. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro shine bright in this movie and bring subtle yet profound performances to the screen. Each of these performances are not showy but they hit with the theme of this movie, the human connection. These performances by the three leads are human in nature and that is what makes it so powerful. The performances feel like they could happen to anyone, and this movie feels like it exists in everyday life. Nora is at the heart of this story and is the main lead out of the three. She struggles with letting go of this relationship that she established but she is trying to move on in her new life in America. Hae Sung is soft spoken and really is in love with Nora and has struggled to let her go ever since she immigrated to the United States. Teo Yoo plays this character perfectly in my opinion and delivers some powerful lines towards the end of the movie. Arthur (John Margaro) is the husband to Nora and Magaro absolutely kills it in this role. He has a complex role and even points it out in the movie that he feels like a roadblock in what could be a perfect relationship. But Nora and Arthur have a great relationship that is established by their love for writing.
With this being one of the most acclaimed movies of the year so far, one may wonder if this may be an awards contender. And with seeing the film, I can almost guarantee that this will be a Best Picture contender in this year's Oscars. This film just perfectly describes the human connection in ways we have never seen on screen. This could also get acting nominations for all of the three leads. Like I said before, these are very subtle performances, but I believe they are ones that will resonate with many of the people that watch this movie. This is a movie which will either move people to tears, like myself, or will touch your soul. I believe that almost every audience member that watches this movie will be touched in some way by this movie.
I truly think that it will be a while until a film touches me like this film touched my soul. I have not had an emotional impact like this from a film since last year's release "The Whale". This film is truly a masterpiece, comprised of performances that will leave you in tears. It's so delicate and beautiful. If there is one film that you see this year, I would recommend that it is this one. I know there is a lot of hype and buzz around this movie, but I would say to believe the hype. It's truly a perfect debut from Celine Song. I honestly cannot wait to see this film again and encourage all of you to check it out!
Review: 5/5 Stars
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