Choosing between rewatching a personal favourite and finally getting around to a film on your watchlist is an age-old dilemma that film fans have to deal with. I like to watch new films as often as possible but there is one instance in which that becomes incredibly difficult: when revisiting Past Lives (2023) is the alternative.
I have really thrown myself headfirst into the world of cinema in the last two or three years, and besides watching a few Harry Potter films five times in 2024, nothing gets anywhere near my nine watches (and counting) of Celine Song’s debut feature film.
Dealing with emotion and being allowed to openly feel something has been enhanced by my love for films, and there are few with a more tender touch than Past Lives. The three lead characters, Nora (Greta Lee), Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) and Arthur (John Magaro), all have such depth to them even when there is little or nothing being said. The way in which Celine Song allows the trio to breathe and to be comfortable in silence feels so simple and yet it is so effective in letting the audience feel every emotion alongside them.
My relationship with Past Lives began at a Cineworld mystery screening. Ill, but unable to refund my ticket, I stuck it out and went along. I felt pretty awful the whole time, and in truth I had no strong feelings on the film when I walked out.. A second watch months later, again on the big screen, saw it rise much higher in my estimations—but it was still just a great film to me and nothing more.
Rewatching it on Netflix and then on DVD has seen me take on board new elements every single time, and I still can’t decide what is better: the aforementioned moments of silence or the gut-wrenching dialogue. “You dream in a language that I can’t understand” has to be one of the hugely impactful sentences spoken in this tale of longing and contemplation, said by Arthur to Nora when the pair are discussing how their love story compares to hers and Hae Sung’s. That desire to know everything there is to know about his partner and the want to be as connected as possible to Nora, even when she’s asleep, really shines through here.
One criticism often levelled at Past Lives is the slow-burning nature of the first hour or so, with some people considering it boring and too uneventful. I couldn’t disagree more. The early scenes of a young Na Young (Nora) and Hae Sung really establish the chemistry of their relationship, in both a romantic and platonic sense, and although little happens, in the world of Celine Song, you’re able to sit and reflect in a beautiful silence. Her style differs from others, here; I love the films of a Denis Villeneuve, for example, but they can sometimes be overwhelming.
A lot of the excellence of this film comes from the minute details, further evidence of not only the care and attention paid by the director but also the importance of this story to her—after all, it is based on true events of her life. The genius of the music from Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen adds another level, the final song ‘See You’ providing a massive release of emotion for both Nora and the audience. Sadness and anguish have been building continuously throughout the film, and Hae Sung’s departure from Nora serves as the crescendo moment. Having earlier admitted to Hae Sung that she doesn’t cry anymore because nobody cares, we see Nora break down in Arthur’s arms, highlighting the importance of these two men in her life.
In spite of the intense heartache that comes with watching Past Lives, there is a meditative feel to it and the music does play a major role here, giving that swaying-in-the-wind feeling. This is particularly apparent to me right now, whilst I watch it for a tenth time with coffee in hand on a Sunday morning (yes, I have watched it again in the time it has taken for me to write this article). It allows me to feel vulnerable whilst also allowing me to feel nothing, and just live in their world for the 106-minute runtime.
There is a lot to love and pick up on with the camera work as well, the intentional nature of it all being another factor that one becomes more aware of with every rewatch. After their date as youngsters in Korea, Hae Sung gazes out the car window at the world around them. We see Nora do the same when she first arrives in New York, and Hae Sung again as he departs the Big Apple. This plays into the feeling of longing, where the pair are always heading in opposite directions—although that doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative for them. In the now-famous bar scene, Hae Sung says, “You had to leave because you’re you […] it was good that you emigrated. Korea is too small of a country for you. It’s not enough to satisfy your ambition.”
We see this ambition in all three timelines of the story, with young Nora wanting to win the Nobel prize, then a Pulitzer 12 years later and a Tony after 12 more. She is always striving for career success, whereas Hae Sung appears to be striving for her affection in one way or another. These two key themes of longing and ambition actually begin to intertwine in the story as well thanks to the concept of in-yun, a Korean philosophy that “references the strings of providence that tie people together throughout each reincarnated life”.
This is just one lifetime for Nora and Hae Sung so whilst it may not be working out for them in this life, who knows what they were to each other in a past life, or what they could be to each other in a future life. Their ambitions differ here and yet they still have a certain feeling of longing towards one another, even discussing who they could have been to each other in a past life in the aforementioned bar scene. The level of maturity to the situation then extends to Arthur who may be physically and linguistically excluded from the conversation at the bar, but he is still still understanding of the weight and significance of it all.
At the end of the day, there is a huge level of maturity to this film. It doesn’t have to be all about romance, and even Arthur is able to make peace with everything going on. This really feels like a one-of-a-kind film. As I fall more and more in love with Past Lives, I can’t wait to see what comes next from Celine Song.