Past Lives is a romantic drama movie written and directed by Celine Song in her feature directorial debut.
Song, a Canadian playwriter and director, used moments from her real life and experience in her first movie.
The film shows the story of Nora (Na Young), a 12-year girl from Seoul, South Korea. Nora has to leave her life and her childhood lover, Hae Sung, to emigrate to Canada and then after, to the United States.
Many years later, she accidentally finds her childhood lover on Facebook.
Although they begin to catch up through videocalls, the continuation of this remote conversation becomes unbearable for Nora, leading her to end it.
Years pass again and Hae Sung suddenly shows up in America and wants to see Nora. At this point, Nora is married and has a writing career.
When someone from the past comes back unexpectedly, it can create a big, emotional dilemma. Should she continue with current life or change her past because of his return?
The movie narration is not complicated. It starts from a conversation between three main characters, Nora, her husband, and Hae Sung, and connects them with their past.
While the film could have been an exaggerated, emotional story, it managed to accomplish simplicity and credibility. It creates a feeling of empathy within the viewer.
The most prominent aspect of the movie is the attention paid to the story of an immigrant woman who knows exactly what she wants. She is full of ambition and resilience.
However, she has left her roots in the past, somewhere in her native land.
Moreover, Past Live, is the notion of “in yeon”, the Korean concept that describes the ties between two people over their lifetime. Nora and Hae Sung can’t call their relationship any of the traditional names of friends, partners, or exes.
They are in yeon – the value of this connection comes both from what it is and what it is not.
The film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 96 per cent, making it a certified fresh movie and an 86 Per cent viewer approval.
In addition, the movie gained some notable prize, such as the Best Woman Screenwriter of Alliance of Women Film Journalists. It also held third place on the Top 10 Films of the Year 2023 in the African American Film Critics Association.
The movie has been nominated for a lot of awards including the Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
And while many critics believe it may not have a strong chance of winning in competition with other movies, the real success of the film lies in its creation of a new meaning of connection between the past and present.
