Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are separated after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
The rare love story that’s both impossibly romantic and crushingly pragmatic, ‘Past Lives’ follows two people who might be soulmates, even though they have never kissed and haven’t been in the same city for two decades.
Making an utterly assured feature debut, writer-director Celine Song modulates perfectly the delicate tonal balance of this wise, wistful film, dividing her narrative into three distinct segments and following the characters when they’re roughly 12, 24 and 36 - with each passage more moving than the last.
There are three superb performances at the picture’s centre, but none is more radiant than that of Greta Lee, gracefully capturing the spirit of a searching soul who seems to understand things about the nuances of love that are beyond the grasp of the rest of us. Premiered at both Sundance and Berlin to rave reviews. (Subtitles)
Our thanks to StudioCanal for this screening.
