Past Lives invites us to hold space for what could’ve been, what is, and what may be
Past Lives is the latest A24 feature film. depicts the complexity of modern romance, written and directed by Korean Canadian filmmaker Celine Song.
Despite its name, it’s not a film about multiverses of infinite possibilities. But it does remind us a bit of another A24 film, The Farewell in that it stars a young female who has a connection to more than one physical home and how that impacts her heart. Similarly, Past Lives is also performed largely in Korean.
Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance. John Magaro (The Umbrella Academy) also stars in the film and that’s where the love triangle comes into play.
Past Lives invites audiences to sit with the choices we’ve made, what we wish could’ve been, wonder what the future may hold, all while encouraging us to take control of our own lives. And if I’m being honest, I see a bit of myself in each character with their nuanced portrayals of the complexities of modern romance and growth. “This movie is about mature adults trying to be decent and mature, but being authentic to how hard that is,” shares Lee in the interview clip below.
Cold Tea Collective sat down to speak with Past Lives writer-director Celine Song and two of its stars, Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. See snippets of our interviews in the Instagram posts below and continue reading.
Past Lives aims to find the truth in universal experiences
First-time feature film writer and director Celine Song stayed true to her own experiences. While the story follows Nora as she moves throughout her…
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