Review of Past Lives (2023) by Moviemitch96 — 26 Jun 2023

Two childhood friends from Korea (Greta Lee and Two Yoo) fall in love with one another, only to be separated when the girl moves to New York to pursue writing. The two lose contact over the course of over two decades, and the woman eventually meets her husband (John Magaro) but finds herself unexpectedly reconnecting with her friend when he visits New York.

The two reflect on fate, circumstance, and what might've been had things played out differently in their lives. Written and directed with such a keen eye by Celine Song in her directorial debut, there are so many quiet yet touching moments throughout this beautiful film that made me reflect upon my past and the people and love in my life that has touched or impacted me in various ways or another.

The themes of first love, home, chance, happenstance, etc. Are all utilized to great and profound effect here. Storywise, even if I felt as though the film lost its footing a bit in the middle act with its pacing, it still very much moved and impacted me more than a fair amount, with tears being brought to my eyes on more than one occasion.

As for the performances, all three of the leads here bring such a sensitive and thoughtful approach to each of their characters, making them feel so genuinely relatable and human in all the best ways.

Overall, despite some uncertainty with the pacing at times, this is a film that has a lot to say about love, fate, what was or wasn't meant to be, and why certain people enter our lives.