Past Lives
Director: Celine Song
Actors: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
PlotNora and Hae Sung, childhood friends from South Korea, share a close bond filled with innocent dreams and aspirations. When Nora's family emigrates to Canada, their friendship is abruptly interrupted, leaving unspoken words and unfinished connections. As they grow up in separate worlds, their lives take different paths, yet the memory of their childhood remains a powerful force. Nora becomes a writer in New York, striving to make her mark in the literary world, while Hae Sung stays in Korea, pursuing a career as an engineer. Both occasionally wonder about what might have been, living with the faint echoes of their shared past.
Twelve years later, fate reconnects them through social media, sparking an emotional reunion across continents. They reminisce about their childhood and share updates about their current lives. As they discover how much they've changed and grown, the possibilities and limitations of their adult realities come into sharp focus. Old feelings resurface, mingling with new perspectives. Meanwhile, Nora’s husband, Arthur, observes the dynamic between the two with his own quiet introspection. The friendship transforms into an exploration of love, identity, and destiny across time and distance. As they confront what they mean to each other now and what could have been, they must each make choices that honor both their past and their present, navigating the complex interplay of memory and reality.
Writers: Celine Song
Release Date: 23 Jun 2023
Runtime: 105 min
Rating: PG-13
Country: United States, South Korea
Language: Korean, English, Mandarin, French
Home Video Reviews
Past Lives delivers an impressively restrained debut with excellent performances and solid technical merits, making it a must-own Blu-ray release.
Read our review of Past Lives Blu-ray to find out more