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Past Lives begins with someone observing the trio of Nora (Greta Lee – Strays), Hae Sung (Teo Yoo – Equals) and Arthur (John Magaro – Big George Foreman), in a scene in a bar in the present day, as Nora is mostly talking to Hae Sung, while hubby Arthur looks a bit dejected. Who’s with who, they wonder? Well, when three people go into a bar, they’re best sat AROUND a table so they can all face each other, but this is a film, so they all have to be viewable by the camera, and it looks awkward, but anyways…
The film goes back to 24 years earlier, when the Korean childhood sweethearts, Nora and Hae Sung, clearly fancy each other. However, her family are emigrating to Canada due to their parents’ work, which is a great shame as they look so sweet together, and it’s heartbreaking when they’re forced apart.
12 years on, Hae Sung is in the army, while Nora’s at college as a student, and both played by their ‘present day’ actors, although I did wonder for a moment as they looked slightly different. Then again, I did realise that’s make-up and hairstyles. In that period, as they chat through Facebook, he clearly still misses her. How is it for her? Will their paths ever cross? Their conflicting schedules certainly don’t help this.
Nor does it when Nora meets Arthur at a residence for artists, since another 12 years on – now in the present day, and the two are long since married. But the gooseberry still wants to meet up with her, and head over to New York for a few days. What will happen when they all get together?
Overall, Past Lives is brilliant, but a few scenes that go too slow stop this from being excellent, and to have had it be that way consistently would’ve been amazing. However, what the film DOES have makes for essential viewing, such as the lingering looks between the pair in front of the fairground, as show in the trailer: Whose looks linger the most? Who fancies whom?
You’ll only find out by watching it, but I did start to question, why – after 12 years – don’t Nora and Arthur have any children? That’s never explained.
One of the most interesting aspects of the trailer, which also comes up in the film, between Nora and Arthur: “There’s a word in Korean: ‘in-yeon’. It means ‘providence’ or ‘fate’. But it’s specifically about relationships between people. I think it comes from Buddhism and Reincarnation. If two strangers even walk past each other on the street and their clothes accidently brush, because it means there must have been something between them in their past lives. If two people get married, they say it’s because there have been eight thousand layers of in-yeon over eight thousand lifetimes.”
I love that cryptic stuff.
Past Lives is in cinemas from September 8th, but it not available to pre-order on home formats.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 106 minutes
Release date: September 8th 2023
Studio: A24
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cinema: Cineworld Didsbury
Rating: 8.5/10
Director: Celine Song
Producers: David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon
Screenplay: Celine Song
Music: Christopher Bear, Daniel Rossen
Cast:
Nora: Greta Lee
Jung Hae Sung: Teo Yoo
Arthur Zaturansky: John Magaro
Young Nora: Seung Ah Moon
Young Hae Sung: Seung Min Yim
Nora’s Mom: Ji Hye Yoon
Nora’s Dad: Won Young Choi
Hae Sung’s Mom: Min Young Ahn
Young Si Young: Yeon Woo Seo
Hae Sung’s Friends: Kiha Chang, Hee Chul Shin, Jun Hyuk Park
CBP Officer: Jack Alberts
Actress: Jane Kim
Na Young’s Childhood Friends: Noo Ri Song, Si Ah Jin, Yoon Seo Choi
Hae Sung’s Girlfriend: Seung Un Hwang
Janice: Jojo T Gibbs
Rachel: Emily Cass McDonnell
Robert: Federico Rodriguez
Peter: Conrad Schott
Heather: Kristen Sieh
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.