Past Lives
Written and directed by Celine Song
Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
Rated PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour, 46 minutes
In select cities June 16, opening wide June 23

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, Red Herring

Genetics, culture, upbringing, all of these things are important factors in our identity, but for my money, what really makes us who we are is the culmination of our experiences. This also means that within our lifetimes, we live several lives. With some experiences, due to massive upheaval or trauma, those lives are clearly demarcated, but the truth is that we are changing all the time. There are past versions of me I no longer resemble, and the person I am today will evolve into something new. This is healthy growth. But this growth can create problems with those who knew the previous versions of us. When we drift apart, that past version of us continues to live on in their minds, preserved in amber. And if we reconnect with them, we have to find a way to confront that fossilized self brought back to life in the way they see us. 

This is the central narrative of Celine Song’s masterful debut film, Past Lives. The opening scene says so much about the way that Strong sees the world, as we watch, unbeknown to us, the three present day main characters sitting at a bar, talking. Overheard is a couple playing the “make up a story about strangers” game, trying to explain what the dynamic is between the trio of an Asian man, an Asian woman, and a white guy. Some racial bias is expressed in the theorizing, which makes it seem as though Strong is exceedingly self-aware that she is making an A24 movie, a slightly broader, but largely younger and white audience that likely attended her production of Anton Chekov’s The Seagull on The Sims 4, a live Twitch broadcast of the Russian’s famous play acted out in The Sims 4 video game. This is not an attempt to cast doubt on the authenticity of Past Lives at all. Rather, it underlines how adroit Strong is at conveying what appears to be a very personal and culturally distinct story while crafting it in such a way that emphasizes the universality of the emotions within. 

In 2011, Nora (Greta Lee) reconnects with her childhood crush, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) on Facebook. They have not had contact for 12 years, since Nora and her family emigrated to Toronto, despite having a deep connection and even a date before she left. Now, Nora is pursuing her dream of writing plays in New York, while Hae still lives in Seoul, studying engineering. They rebuild their relationship over Skype, but eventually the distance (and time zones) is too great. Nora meets Arthur (John Magaro) at a writing retreat, and she explains the concept of inyun, which is related to both reincarnation and the butterfly effect. Those who marry are said to have many past lives underneath it, whether they sat next to each other on a train once, or were a bird and the branch under their nest. Arthur asks her if she believes in inyun, and she says it is something Koreans talk about when they are trying to seduce someone. Arthur, in classic oblivious male fashion, finally realizes he is being seduced, and kisses her. 

When Nora and Hae finally reconnect, more time has gone by, and Nora brushes up against how “Korean Korean” he is, compared to her Korean-American/Canadian mentality. Hae tells her that she is the same little girl he knew as a child in Korea, which takes her by surprise. She certainly doesn’t feel that way about herself. So much has happened since then, she feels like a wholly different person. She only speaks Korean with Hae and her mother. Her cultural attitudes are fully western, but Hae represents what she left behind. Leaving wasn’t her choice, but her parents’. If they had stayed in Korea, they might have married. But they also might have drifted apart. Past Lives indulges in the same sort of “what if?” scenarios and self-archeology as High Fidelity, but with a lighter touch and more careful perspective. Speaking as one, heterosexual American men are more apt to be chaotic, damaging forces in the lives of women than anything portrayed here, this is emo without the ego. 

Not only does the construction of the script make Past Lives one of the best of the year so far, but Strong demonstrates a reserve and trust in her performers that is striking for a debut. So much of her intention is captured through bodies. The way Nora smiles is different between Hae and Arthur, and her posture as well. It’s readily evident how each person in a scene is feeling based on the way they move or sit, as well as the expressions on their face. This also applies to the way they are placed within the frame. Song often places her actors off-center, creating an asymmetry that reflects their restless or unsettled nature. This is also emphasized by her slow pans, a recurring feature of the film. Often there will be two characters in the same space, the camera slowly moving from one to the other, or outpacing them to give us a sense of the environment around them. 

Past Lives is moving, inspiring, and honest. There is so much emotion and care put into each aspect of the film, it is self-evident. I loved spending time with these characters, and I look forward to revisiting this again in my next life.