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Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. © 2023 A24, CJ ENM, Killer Films, and 2AM. Directed by Celine Song.
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Watched it at AMC Theaters
Two Lives Intertwine Once Again In the past, people can change. Futures can be changed. Relationships can be changed. However, one person will at least stay once in your life and bounce back again to begin new beginnings. Past Lives is the answer to new beginnings and revisiting a past life you once had. This is a deep film that explores many themes and once the film ends, you immediately rethink what kind of life you had in the past. Every emotion will hit you once you see the final shot of the film with the beautiful score in the background. Join me in New York City to explore the past lives of these characters and the theme of truly living here and now. Story: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrestled after Nora's family emigrated from South Korea. Decades later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love, and the choices that make a life. Capturing human moments is very special and I feel like Past Lives captures those moments like it's a documentary within a narrative form. It's special how Celine Song directs her two leads into emotional moments and removes the boundaries to make certain choices that will affect not just throughout the story, but the arcs of those characters. Even John Magaro's character Arthur has a major arc within his relationship with Greta Lee's character Nora. Each character serves a purpose in this story and by the end, there are many emotions flowing in through each character that determine their past lives and their future. I was captivated by the beautifully written screenplay and it allowed certain moments to be so heartful while giving the actors more freedom to explore their character. It doesn't waste time to introduce these characters' lives and it's an interesting feat of a story structure to have these long introductions before heading to the main central story in the present time. I was expecting the film to start right away with the two characters in New York which it does but only for a minute before going back to the past to see how their relationship changed over time until they meet once again in New York. I think it's wonderful and fresh to see that and it goes straight to the point. I really loved the two main leads in the film, especially Greta Lee. She really delivers an outstanding performance in bringing this simple yet emotional character that separates her new life from her old life. Teo Yoo as Hae Sung was also fantastic at delivering an interesting character that many males can relate to. Aiming for the girl of your dreams and suddenly, once you get rejected, you start heading to a different path. However, that same path will crossroads into the original path with the person you fell in love with back in your younger life. It's an interesting analysis of human decisions that open new paths but the old path can come back once the person is ready to restart their original path. Even their old lives can come back and it can reveal their original emotions and feelings. It's a deep film with simple topics and ideas that resonate with audiences about how much we value love and our lives for one another. Love can be challenging but with a new path, that love can expand into something greater.
The cinematography is simple yet beautiful in presenting these emotional and heartwarming moments. The framing on each scene and shot are very well done and it captures the essence of the environments and emotional state of the main leads. The production design is also pretty good too and I love how we get to see both eras of New York City and Seoul change and intersect. The score is absolutely fantastic in elevating emotional moments to their limits. The music is also very relaxing by giving a vacation-type rhythm through each emotion that is presented. The editing here is also well-paced by not wasting time on each scene and letting the emotional scenes breathe and time shine. The New York City trip scene is well edited by giving slow beats while still having a smooth rhythm with its characters. Overall, it's an amazing indie production and it elevates emotional love stories to another level.
This was such an emotional film from beginning to end. Past Lives explores different themes and ideas that many love dramas wouldn't touch and director Celine Song embraces those ideas into something greater. The performances are fantastic, the writing is very strong, and the cinematography is exquisite. Easily one of the best films of 2023 and I'm looking forward to Song's next project to break my heart once again. Now Playing in Theaters and on VOD. Vizeit Score: "A"
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Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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