Past Lives (film)
| Past Lives | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Celine Song |
| Written by | Celine Song |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shabier Kirchner |
| Edited by | Keith Fraase |
| Music by | |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
|
| Box office | $10.9 million[2][3] |
Past Lives is a 2023 American romantic drama film written and directed by Celine Song in her feature directorial debut. Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, the film follows a reunion between two childhood friends as they contemplate their relationship and their own lives.[1]
Past Lives had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023, and was released theatrically in the United States on June 2, 2023. The film was released with a soundtrack.
Plot[edit]
Hae Sung, Nora, and Arthur are sitting at a bar while an unseen couple watches them and guesses their relationships with each other.
Twenty-four years earlier in Seoul, Na Young and Hae Sung are classmates who walk home together each day. Na Young's family immigrates to Toronto, where she changes her name to Nora.
Twelve years later, Hae Sung has finished his military service and Nora has immigrated to New York City. One day, Nora and her mother speak on the phone while looking up her classmates from Korea. When she looks up Hae Sung, she sees that he had commented on a Facebook post that he was looking for Na Young, not realizing she had changed her name. They reconnect and talk over Skype and both ask the other to come visit them, though neither can commit, as Nora is about to attend a writer's retreat and Hae Sung is moving to China for a language exchange. Nora tells Hae Sung they should stop talking for a while, as she wants to seriously focus on her writing.
At her writer's retreat, Nora meets Arthur and describes the Korean concept of in-yeon (인연) to him, where if you meet someone, even briefly, it means you also met in a past life, and lovers are people who have met over and over in their past lives. Arthur asks if she believes in that, and she says no, that it is just something Koreans say to seduce each other. In China, Hae Sung meets a woman, and it is implied they begin dating.
Twelve years later, Arthur and Nora are married and living in New York. Nora is a playwright and Arthur is an author. Hae Sung is planning a trip to New York and meets Nora there. She asks him if he plans to marry his girlfriend, and he says that they are on a break because he does not make enough money, deeming himself ordinary.
At home that night, Nora confirms Arthur's suspicion that Hae Sung came to New York not on vacation but to see her. Arthur wonders if he is a roadblock in their perfect love story, but Nora affirms that she loves Arthur.
The next night, all three of them go out to dinner and end up at the bar from the start of the film. Initially, Nora tries to translate a conversation for everyone, but eventually, she and Hae Sung speak exclusively in Korean. He brings up in-yeon and wonders what they were to each other in their past lives, and also what would have happened if she had never left Korea. When Nora goes to the bathroom, Hae Sung apologizes to Arthur and says they will not speak alone again.
They leave the bar and return to Arthur and Nora's apartment. Hae Sung invites them to visit him in Korea and calls an Uber. Nora waits with him, and as tension rises and there is a heightened emotional connection between the two, the Uber arrives. Hae Sung says that maybe they are currently experiencing a past life, and asks Nora what their relationship will be in their next life. She says she does not know, and he says the same. When he leaves in the car, she walks back to her apartment, where she cries and falls into Arthur's arms.
Cast[edit]
- Greta Lee as Nora
- Seung Ah Moon as young Nora
- Teo Yoo as Hae Sung
- Seung Min Yim as young Hae Sung
- John Magaro as Arthur
- Ji Hye Yoon as Nora's mom
- Choi Won-young as Nora's dad
- Min Young Ahn as Hae Sung's mom
- Jojo T. Gibbs as Janice
- Emily Cass McDonnell as Rachel
- Federico Rodriguez as Robert
- Conrad Schott as Peter
- Kristen Sieh as Heather
Production[edit]
In January 2020, it was announced Choi Woo-shik would star in the film, with Celine Song set to direct from a screenplay she wrote, and A24 set to produce and distribute alongside Killer Films and CJ ENM.[4] In August 2021, Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro joined the cast of the film, with Yoo replacing Choi.[5]
Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner shot Past Lives on 35 mm film.[6]
Release[edit]
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023.[7] It was also screened at 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 19, 2023.[8] Later that month, StudioCanal and CJ ENM were among the distributors acquiring the international distribution rights.[9] It was the opening film for the 2023 Seattle International Film Festival.[10] Past Lives had a limited theatrical release in the United States on June 2, 2023,[11] before expanding to more theaters on June 9; it was released nationwide on June 23.[12]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The film grossed $232,266 from four theaters in its opening weekend, an average of $55,066 per venue.[13] By its sixth weekend, the film had a running total of $8.4 million.[14]
Critical response[edit]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 199 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A remarkable debut for writer-director Celine Song, Past Lives uses the bonds between its sensitively sketched central characters to support trenchant observations on the human condition."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 94 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[16]
Accolades[edit]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | February 25, 2023 | Golden Bear | Celine Song | Nominated | [17] |
| Sydney Film Festival | June 18, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [18] |
| Golden Trailer Awards | June 29, 2023 | Best Romance | "Fate" (Mark Wollen & Associates) | Won | [19] |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Runner-up | [20] |
| Best Indie | Won | ||||
| Best Director | Celine Song | Runner-up | |||
| Best Actor | Teo Yoo | Runner-up | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | John Magaro | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Jerusalem Film Festival | July 23, 2023 | Best International Debut | Past Lives | Nominated | [21] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Press Notes" (PDF). A24. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Past Lives". The Numbers. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ "Past Lives (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (January 22, 2020). "Exclusive: 'Parasite's Choi Woo-sik to Star in A24's Korean Romance 'Past Lives'". Collider. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (August 2, 2021). "Greta Lee & Teo Yoo Set To Star In A24's 'Past Lives'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Shachat, Sarah; Hemphill, Jim (January 19, 2023). "Sundance 2023 Cinematography Survey: The Cameras and Lenses Behind 40 Narrative Films at the Fest". IndieWire. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 7, 2022). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Set With Ukraine War, Little Richard, Michael J. Fox, Judy Blume Docs; Pics With Anne Hathaway, Emilia Clarke, Jonathan Majors; More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Jeon Hwa (February 21, 2023). "유태오, 선댄스 이어 베를린 환호,,"K콘텐츠 뜨거운 관심"" [Teo Yoo, cheers in Berlin following Sundance,, "K-content hot interest"] (in Korean). Ilgan Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 24, 2023). "Sundance & Berlin Hit 'Past Lives' Scores Deals In UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Lat Am & More For A24: EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "Seattle International Film Festival 2023 Opening Night Event". Seattle International Film Festival. May 12, 2023. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 7, 2023). "A24 Dates Three For Summer: 'You Hurt My Feelings', 'Past Lives' & 'Talk To Me'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Balderston, Michael (June 7, 2023). "Past Lives: release date, trailer, cast, reviews and everything we know about the movie". What to Watch. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "Domestic 2023 Weekend 22". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 9, 2023). "'Insidious: The Red Door' Slams On 'Indiana Jones' With $32M+ Opening – Sunday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Past Lives". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Past Lives". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman; Vivarelli, Nick (January 23, 2023). "Berlin Film Festival Reveals Competition Lineup (Updating Live)". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (May 9, 2023). "Sydney Film Festival Unveils Bumper Lineup for 70th Edition". Variety. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (June 29, 2023). "Golden Trailer Awards: Cocaine Bear, Only Murders In The Building & Oppenheimer Among Top Winners – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ Anderson, Erik (June 30, 2023). "Hollywood Critics Association 2023 Midseason HCA Awards: 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,' 'Past Lives,' 'Air' are Top Winners". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Hannah (June 28, 2023). "2023 Jerusalem Film Fest announces international movie lineup". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
Further reading[edit]
- Alexi, Horowitz-Ghazi (June 4, 2023). "Past Lives is inspired by filmmaker Celine Song's own experience with a childhood friend". NPR. Retrieved June 4, 2023. (Radio review of the film)
- Dargis, Manohla (June 1, 2023). "'Past Lives' Review: Longing for a Future". The New York Times.
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