Review: 'Past Lives' leaves you with an aching heart but hopeful of infinite possibilities - just like life!

Past Lives

Hope, ache, longing and love. Past Lives, directed by Celine Song is probably one of the rarest films in this era that goes through the route of patience and tenderness to explore the story between two individuals that is vanilla in its essence yet extraordinary and poignant.

It is a story about two childhood friends, Hae Sung and Na Young, who are inseparable - but that changes when Na Young's family decides to immigrate to Canada. What follows is a 24-year tale of being away, connecting sporadically and a meeting all these years later that has them confronting their fate and also how their decisions impacted their lives.

Having had the chance to see the film beforehand, here is what I thought about it- 

The Purity and Sanctity

I don't remember watching a film about relationships that explore the purity of it so flawlessly. Right from the duo being childhood friends to then being young adults, thousands of miles away on video calls and then another timeline later - being full-grown adults with their separate and distinct lives; the sanctity of the bond Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) and Na Young, now going by Nora (Greta Lee) that they share is precious. 

The timeline of them connecting on video calls 12 years after they first grew apart is one of my favorite ones - the struggles and benefits of technology, through which they are able to find each other and then see each other virtually, the unexplainable need to adjust your schedules and daily routine in order to make the time to talk with each other on a video call, the exchange of likes and dislikes that become important to explore (I mean, Nora suggests Hae Sung to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, good pick, Nora!) - It mollifies the anxiousness of us wanting them to meet each other and be with each other.

Subtly Philosophical & Achingly Beautiful

The biggest victory for Past Lives is going through the hoops of this relationship in the most aching yet satisfying manner possible. Inyun, a Buddhist-derived concept which suggests that every meeting between two souls is the product of countless interactions or near-interactions in their past lives - is brought up multiple times to let us give an entry into the director's vision for this impossible love story of sorts. If I were to point out one scene that speaks entirely for the film and what it is trying to tell - it would easily be the conversation between Nora and her white-husband, Arthur when she returns after meeting Hae-Sung for the first time in 24 years.

In that exchange of dialogue as the couple gets ready for bed, a million things are addressed in the most casual manner. Arthur (John Magaro) almost feeling existential and just how can he contribute to being authentically important in Nora's life to Nora pondering about how she, inspite of being Korean is more a Korean-American and how Hae Sung is still Korean-Korean; from Arthur obviously but subtly being envious when Nora talks about Hae Sung being attractive and manly to Nora seemingly being more affirmative about their relationship - the entire dilemma of this complicated bond is talked about expertly.

Superlative Cinematography and Endless Possibilities

What director Celine Song is able to do almost unbelievably is incorporate a story spanning 24 years into a film in less than hours with utmost patience and serenity. The cinematography comes into play here in the most effective manner. Shabier Kirchner's movement of frames is assisted with director Song's vision on having innovative long shots than falling into the usual closeups all the time. A beautiful scene shows the camera gradually moving from a wide shot in the park to slowly at Hae Sung and Nora as they complete the walk as we overhear their conversation. The scene where Hae Sung and Nora are waiting in the line for the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty is another example of exemplary moving of frames.

Kirchner and Song work in perfect unison to reflect the ache and longing that these two individuals have been facing all this time. There are moments of awkwardness and blank spaces where it almost seems like Hae Sung wonders as to why aren't they together and Nora possibly being pensive about her choices in life. But never do we feel that anyone is the 'hero' or 'villain' - or even just 'good' or 'bad' in general, that is intended and that translates keeping up open to endless possibilities.

The Takeway & Verdict

From being obviously philosophical with inyun to being subtly so when Hae Sung sits at the bar with Nora towards the end, as he muses over how things would have been so different if Nora, more so, if Na Young never left Korea, if she and Hae Sung got married or if she never took the call to stop talking even 12 years later on calls - or possibly not - maybe they only felt this for each other because they grew apart.

That is what you are left with in the end of the film - maybes! A lot of maybes. That is what is life is in the end, isn't it? Nora and Hae Sung might continue to stay apart but they are perhaps bound to be together, for eternity. They might never meet again but they will stay in each other's life forever. Powered by incredible performances by all the three primary actors in the story, this is the most unconventional love-triangle you might ever see!

Past Lives is undoubtedly one of the most poignant and effective love story I have witnessed for the longest time. There are no instances of being cliched like how an array of romantic films unwittingly do and there is never an instance of crossing the line to being boring or unfathomable - Past Lives leaves us with a tear in eye, a smile inside as we feel the ache of these two characters being apart but be hopeful of the infinite possibilities that their story might lead to.

Rating - ****1/2 (4.5/5)