Past Lives

Interest 1

CAT'S PICK : ★ 8.0

From across a bar, two strangers try to figure out how the three leads of Past Lives know each other. These two bar patrons make their predictions as they look at Nora (Greta Lee), Hae Sung (Yoo Teo), and Arthur (John Magaro) who is hitched, who is connected, who is the unnecessary extra person in this situation. In a film that is heartbreakingly romantic, impeccably told, and masterfully crafted to make perhaps the best film of 2023, we too find ourselves trying to figure out where these three will end up, what they mean to one another, and what their stories are throughout Past Lives.

Past Lives, like the amazing Return to Seoul from last year, shows the many lives we live in this one and how we change while staying the same. For instance, Nora as she was a child is very different from the Nora we meet in college, who is also different from the Nora we meet today. Certainly, there are components of that individual who exists, yet we keep the center and advance in any case. However, Past Lives is also influenced by perspective in numerous ways. While Nora sees a completely different version of herself in the South Korean version of herself, Hae Sung sees these childhood interactions as the only ones he has ever had with the girl he has been interested in for years and uses them to almost define who she is.

This story of the past and present, as well as what it means for the future, is handled with care and told with heart. Song's work is incredible. Greta Lee, Yoo Teo, and John Magaro give incredible performances in a film that you won't want to see again and will remember for a long time afterward. Each actor brings a different and significant perspective to the story.