Past Lives
2023
*****
Director: Celine Song
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah, Ji Hye Yoon, Choi Won-young, Min Young Ahn, Seung Min Yim
Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends, lost contact when Nora's family immigrated from South Korea to Canada. They momentarily rediscover each other online and finally meet in New York City for the first time in 24 years. Celine Song's semi-autobiographical feature debut is a moving and intimate drama about two people with a shared past and unresolved feelings, who discover that they are old friends and complete strangers. Song's romantically tinged film presents a what if scenario, but it goes deeper than that. The wonderfully directed debut delivers subtle and poignant observations about the choices that shape our lives.
