Past Lives Review: Celine Song’s Debut Film Has a Rare Understanding of Intimacy

The past always seems like something to let go of or something to hold on to for dear life; at least that’s what the films tell you. Celine Song, in her stunning and evocative debut feature Past Lives questions the aforementioned idea and posits that humans often have to grapple with the idea that they might somehow have to do both or neither. 

We meet Na Young and Hae Sung, classmates in a school in Seoul. Right off the bat, we get a glimpse into their personalities: Na Young (later Nora) is competitive and ambitious and Hae Sung is intuitive and they’re both absolutely adorable. The news of Na Young’s family immigrating to Canada leaves Hae Sung heartbroken, albeit in silence. 

Their relationship is one of childish crushes (Na Young even tells her mother she’s ‘going to marry him’) and undeniable affection but the separation is more than physical and they lose touch. Several years later, the duo reconnects in one of the film’s best sequences; Nora (a talented Greta Lee) has since shifted to New York.

The visuals Song picks for their reunion are nostalgic of a decade past. There is a somber intimacy to their Skype calls; both adjusting their schedules for the other to fall into an almost shabby but tender routine.

Nora and Hae Sung (an endearing, striking Teo Yoo) capture little pockets of time with each other, every call through laughter and silences strengthens their relationship, the details of which they refuse to address. Illuminated by the glow of the laptop screen, their relationship is reminiscent of years spent talking to static trying to keep love, care, and affection alive. 

Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are so immensely comfortable in their characters that every little detail feels like you’re getting to know people in your own life. Teo Yoo cuts a comparatively imposing figure in Seoul but in a newer environment like New York, his physique has accents of doubt.

Song has created an environment where it feels like the viewer is hanging out with the duo and they seem like enchanting people to be around.

When it comes to performances, John Magaro is wonderful as Arthur, Nora’s long-term partner. On the face of it, he is supportive and a decent communicator but tiny details like his shifting eyeline and unsure posture point to a man who comes off as mature because he really is trying. 

Song doesn’t seem to believe in giving the viewers any clear cut answers; she only wants you to view these three people in their interactions with each other and confront your own feelings about things like the past, the future, love, or destiny. This touch of philosophy is more literal in the childhood companions’ belief in ‘In-Yun (or inyeon)’. 

Past Lives is a rare film that captures the intensity of yearning and actually understands human nature. Song captures the emotional heft of a past life that has morphed into a gut wrenching ‘What if?’ and the tranquility and maturity of long-term relationships. The scene at a bar, one the film opens with and returns to, encapsulates this brilliance. What does Arthur represent for Nora? And what does Hae Sung mean to her new life? 

These are all questions that linger in the soft, morning air of New York as Nora and Hae Sung sit facing each other in silence for the first time in a while. 

DOP Shabier Kirchner captures every frame with such stunning brilliance that the actors' chemistry, their hesitation, every skip in their step is sewn together to make a hauntingly stunning film.

The film’s pace is slow but it’s evident that it has been designed that way. Characters often walk in spaces old and new, mapping their surroundings. And how can someone feel at home in a place they need to rush through? Song has designed a romance in Past Lives that splits off in two directions and has, as a result, created one of the most evocative films I’ve recently watched. 

Past Lives hit theatres in India on 7 July.

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