Mild spoilers throughout
Past Lives weaves romantic longing with national identity and is one of the best films of the year.
In her feature film directorial debut, Celine Song shows a perfect grasp of tone and delivers a film that is both intensely personal and achingly beautiful.
Song, a South Korean-Canadian, emigrated at the age of 12 and transposes large parts of her life story into Past Lives.
The film follows Nora (Greta Lee) as the adult version of a girl who experiences the same uprooting of her Korean life as a pre-teen.
Twelve years after making Canada home, Nora is contacted by childhood crush Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) and the duo reconnect over Skype.
After making strides to embrace her new home, Nora is pulled back into what life might have been had she stayed in Seoul and is conflicted about her true identity.
She is gently mocked about her new accent and fading grasp of Korean, but there is an undeniable chemistry between the two, even if through a screen.
But as often happens with online relationships, the distance eventually forces it to fizzle out, and both Nora and Hae Sung return to the normalcy of their lives, an ocean apart from one another.
Following a second time jump of 12 years, we catch up with Nora who now lives in New York with her American husband.
But their marital bliss is about to be challenged when Hae Sung turns up for a week and Nora agrees to act as a tour guide.
This is the film’s final and best act and will not be spoiled here.
If you have any interest in watching this movie, do not seek out spoilers as the ending’s impact deserves to be felt fully.
Confronted by her past life in human form, Nora is conflicted about how Hae Sung’s idea of her differs from that in reality.
Is she forgetting her heritage or simply embracing a new journey?
If you have ever felt homesick or indeed felt a longing connection to someone who is out of reach for any reason, Past Lives will resonate with you on a level deeper than most films.
Song has created something with untold depth in its relative simplicity and it will sit with you for some time after the credits roll.
And it is brought to life by two wonderful performances, particularly that of Lee.
Do not miss out, just bring a tissue or two to be safe.
Rated PG-13 for some Language.
4.5/5.
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