“Past Lives” Movie Review by Rafy Mediavilla (@RMediavilla) #PastLivesMovie
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance.
I have to admit that at first, I was a little reluctant to review this movie, mainly because of the language barrier, the simple fact that my attention span is not that great, and having to read the subtitle and follow whatever is going on screen is an art that I still haven’t mastered. But also because just by looking at the trailer and promos I felt this what going to be more of a romantic story and it is not a secret that I’m not a fan of romantic movies or romcom for that matter. Yet I walked out of the theater from my screening of Past Lives with tears in my eyes and telling myself this is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.
Story-wise, writer, and director Celine Song masterfully used what sets aside a K-drama by telling a story about first loves and the fine line between the what if’s and the effects of time and space within any sort of relationship, This story hit me hard, as I am pretty sure it will hit home for many. We all have that one special person in our lives that we would do anything for, and this is what this story is all about. But it also dives into the situation of choosing between leaving it all behind, choosing between the future that I built with said person and the tough decision of finally letting go. Song script is amazing at touching up every possible scenario and her direction is masterful as we see the pain between these subjects with her long-silent paused scenes, and her masterful storytelling as we slowly move between scenes.
Performances are superb, as both Greta Lee and Teo Yoo did an amazing job prorating their characters. The pain in the eyes of Yoo character Hae Sung was fully palpable as we saw him longing to get back with his childhood sweetheart, and the heartbreak can be seen as everything is not what it seems when it was all said and told. The same can be said of Lee’s character Nora as we see the emotions in her face, with the many changes her character goes through to finally getting back in touch with Sung and releasing the impact of time and space between them.
Another accept that I have to touch upon is that I absolutely stuck with me far beyond leaving the screening of the movie what the beautiful score. A mellow and peaceful score that constantly changes tones as the story keeps being told with it overpowering as it just sits in the background all the time, and only plays a role when the director feels the need for people to actually listen to it in given scenes. I was impressed with this strategy because if you actually are actively trying to listen to the score you can barely hear it that is there, but when the scene merits you get completely immersed in it.
This is a movie that comes award season it will not surprise me one bit if it makes a lot of noise at least in the best International Movie category. And if these past years have told us anything it wouldn’t surprise me if it lands in the Best Pictures, Director, Script, and Performance top categories. “Past Lives” Is that good of a movie, and one everyone should go an see in a theater or digitally.
