Review of ‘Past Lives’: A Longing for the Future

The reunion of Nora and Hae Sung is heartwarming, with the delightful on-screen chemistry between Lee and Yoo contributing to the pleasant scenes. However, as the days pass and turn into nights, the encounter can seem aimless and irrelevant at times, almost like an unnecessary addition. Although Hae Sung’s life in South Korea is portrayed with some detail, and he has an attractive appearance, his character lacks depth in the story. He is like a ghostly presence, a beautiful figure on a laptop screen revealing Hae Sung’s vulnerability and longing without affecting the storyline as much as Nora does.

As Nora and Hae Sung reunite in person in New York twelve years later, the film’s themes take a more precise and significant form. They both have distinct histories, memories, personalities, and perspectives, with Nora being married to Arthur, played beautifully by John Magaro. Arthur shares a lot of characteristics with Hae Sung, with an open and transparent face revealing his emotions, both positive and negative, but he is the one who shares Nora’s life.

It is crucial to Song’s overall design to depict Nora’s journey accurately. The events that take place after Nora breaks up with Hae Sung when they’re young adults are pivotal and extended. Although she’s affected by their encounter, she soon embarks on a writing retreat, another representation of the aspirations she had as a girl. For the only time in the film, Song captures the physical surroundings, lingering on a beautiful, sunny country house that Nora occupies. She explores its rooms while settling in, and soon, another writer, Arthur, follows her. Shot through an open window to Nora’s room, the camera frames Arthur’s arrival. Nora misses his entrance, but the reality soon dawns on her, as she emerges from her room to a present that represents the future for the first time in the movie.

Past Lives
Rated PG-13. In English and Korean, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 46 minutes. In theaters.