Two childhood friends reunite after 20 years
I remember one day in May this year when I was browsing through Letterboxd and suddenly, one poster caught my attention. It said Past Lives and after I watched the trailer, I knew I needed to watch it. Unfortunately, one thing interrupted my excitement and it was the fact that it would be released in July, which was two long (boring?) months away :(Today was finally The Day I was waiting for. I couldn't sleep, didn't have hunger, had no motivation to do anything, only wanted to watch Past Lives. So I went with Mom to the second local cinema in my city, which isn't exactly the classic big cinema with multiple screening rooms and a bar with popcorn and other stuff (this has only two screening rooms, a little bar with (mostly alcoholic) drinks). The tickets are like the small pieces of paper in old cinemas. When you sit there it feels like you are sitting in a movie club with movie fans and not with random people, after the end of a movie when you see that everyone still sits in their seats and watch the credits is something so nice that it always warms my heart (in my opinion I think the credits are part of a movie which should be watched as well because by doing so you honor the film and the people who worked on it). I personally like this cinema more than the bigger one that we have here, they do movie marathons, they screen movies that are not in the big cinemas (old or not well-known titles by not well-known directors) and many other nice things ♥
I know I should not say this because it's quite a lazy sentence that won't tell you anything, but everything in this movie was perfect! The ost – it was a big part of the movie, it would be weird without it. The story – it's just a simple story about love which is nice to see after the films I watched. The characters sometimes just stare at each other and it is worth hundreds of words. The cinematography – aesthetic and pleasant to watch like wow every shot was amazing. You feel like you are there with the characters - that is such a great feeling when movies can do this magic ^^ (I was in NY in person and even on the same street eeeee, sorry I needed to flex a little haha) And the Actors – Greta Lee and Teo Yoo were awesome I was already familiar with both of them.
It got me at the end, I couldn't hold the feelings anymore ㅜ-ㅜ
My new comfort movie.
Watched twice already, thinking to watch it for the third time :D
Can't wait to see Song's second movie Materialists (current name) ^^
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Beautiful, Poignant, Heart warming, Heart wrenching
It was beautiful, poignant, heart warming and heart wrenching all at the same time. One of the best movies I've watched. It really gets you thinking philosophically. Life is nothing but a sum of conscious choices that you make and you constantly think about the various "what-ifs", something all of us have experienced — the branching paths of life. The person who goes out of state for college must wonder what it would have been like if they had stayed closer to home. The person who lives in the town they grew up in dreaming about if they had accepted the job offer that would have taken them out of state. The person you went on a couple dates with but it didn’t work out because of timing. Our lives are full of these what ifs. And if we entertain every one of them, it can become a burden. A cherished burden. But a burden all the same. The movie gets at the idea of closure and letting go and being okay with living the life you have, and leaving the rest up to fate. You can’t be everything to everyone. Part of getting older is coming to terms with who we are rather than who we could have been.Was this review helpful to you?
i'm obsessed & in love
it's the first time i'm writing a review here, it just shows a little of the amount of emotions i felt when watching this gem.i can't really express how much i'm in love with this movie. it's been days since i watched it and i can't stop thinking about everything that happened. the song that plays in the end is amazing as well. i've loved this movie since the beginning, it's now one of my favorites for sure. i couldn't stop noticing the peace they clearly felt in the moments they were together. the tranquility of just being in silence, looking at each other... it was an incredible and beautiful experience watching this movie. i loved every second of it and i'll definitely watch it again in the future.
"if you leave something behind, you gain something too."
"what if this is a past life, who do you think we are to each other in the next?"
"will we meet again in the light?"
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Good Enough
Korean/ USA Movie " Past Lives " is a drama about what ifs, lost relationships, and identity.The movie has impressive cinematography, with a gloomy New York as the main setting, offering the right space for the melancholic tone of the story. And true, the plot is quite blue, with the two main characters missing chance after chance to be together. At the same time, the questions of identity and home are often set out to become obstacles for them, other than bad timing and bad decisions.
Other than that, the movie seems to never reach that burst that the story needed, whether that was a happy ending or a tragic ending. Also, the time jumps were plenty and messed up the pace and the cohesiveness of the story.
Finally, the performances were smooth and enjoyable by every actor and actress in the cast.
So, overall, five out of ten. It's an interesting movie, but it turns out to be just okay.
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In all, the story unfolds like a conversation with the past; soft, tender, and profoundly human. Every scene lingers with the ache of what might have been, reminding us that some connections are not meant to last, but to shape us. Thoughtfully written and gracefully produced, Past Lives captures the delicate balance between fate and choice, love and timing. This film doesn't offer closure for anyone who’s ever wondered about the one that got away; it provides understanding.
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This review may contain spoilers
how to be an ntr enjoyer?
...i watched this in theaters.. its the definition of korean aesthetics in film.. but there is a very big but.. it feels ntr and ntr on reverse form. basically the whole movie makes you think they both love each other ... but the movie poster tells you otherwise what the ending is.. close but not so close. the actress said theres no kissing scenes coz they were betting on something more. omegalul. in normal peoples words its bs . i watched it as if i wasted my whole time watching it.basically the husband feels like minor character third wheeling the whole film .
i dont really get why people say heartbreak as realistic when the whole premise of the film is unrealistic in the first place. you dont keep in touch that long . 6 months ldr people are already breaking up. and they pseudo break up without actually getting together. lul. i feel dirty after finished watching it. its like you ate a sweet flavored sewage water. its beautiful but this is not 500 days of summer where things are clearly sort of explained one way of another how they part ways. in this film.. they already parted way long ago.. so there's basically no point in closure when it already closed in the first place. making the whole thing pointless.
music and acting are the best part of this film. even the silence in certain parts i consider that as music.
if you have 10$ watch it. if not dont. you wont regret not watching it either way.
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IT was Greed of wanting more the what you have
what is story shows is a shameless woman wanting more and moreher greed toward what she can't have while Ignoring what she already have
Grass is always greener on other side
i don't get those who call this beautiful or love story
it appear like that on surface
they did not act according to there age, a grown ass woman 30+ acting like she is a toddler while having a affair in front of her husband without a thought
it not love its there self centered thinking that what they do is right thing
believing to be hero in story is delusion
every hero is a villain in someone else life
i wanted to give - rating.....
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Slightly off-tempo romance, beautiful cinematography
There's a lot of promising material in this film, but the heart of the story is a little off-target. The director has a real flair for depicting a city and its atmosphere, in a few aesthetically pleasing but not superficial shots, as well as the emotional weight these cities hold for the characters. It's with the latter that the problem arises: they're well acted (with subtle facial expressions in their interactions) and potentially plausible, but some of the dialogues should never have gone beyond the rough draft stage. As a result, the discussions between characters are sometimes very clumsy, without really having a naturalistic aspect, where key words are repeated over and over again without really moving forward. This aspect clashes all the more with the rather fast pace of this fairly short film, awkwardly slowing down what was hitherto moving at high speed.When we get away from this heavy-handedness, the characters take on much more meaning, as in the shorter exchanges via webcam, or when the two male leads meet for the first time and exchange introductions in each other's language. The final scene is equally beautiful, full of restrained tension.
The soundtrack is also well done. I can't wait to see her next film; despite the clumsiness of this first attempt, there's a lot to like here.
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Il y a beaucoup de matériau prometteur dans ce film, mais le cœur de l'ouvrage vise un peu à côté de la cible. La réalisatrice a une vraie belle patte pour ce qui est de dépeindre une ville et son atmosphère, en quelques plans esthétisants sans être superficiels, ainsi que le poids émotionnel que ces villes entretiennent avec les personnages. C'est avec ces derniers que le bât blesse un chouïa, ceux-ci sont bien interprétés (avec une mimique subtile dans leurs interactions) et potentiellement plausibles, mais certains des dialogues n'auraient jamais dû dépasser le stade de brouillon. Cela donne des discussions entre personnages parfois très pataudes sans vraiment avoir un aspect naturaliste où l'on répète à l'envie des mots clefs sans vraiment avancer. Cet aspect s'entrechoque d'autant plus avec le rythme plutôt rapide de ce film assez court en ralentissant assez maladroitement ce qui défilait jusque là à grande vitesse.
Quand on s'échappe de ces lourdeurs, les personnages prennent bien plus de sens, comme lors des échanges plus courts via webcam, ou bien quand les deux rôles masculins se rencontrent pour la première fois et échangent des présentations dans la langue de l'autre. La scène finale est également belle, toute en tension retenue.
La bande-son est de bonne facture également. J'ai hâte de voir son prochain film, malgré les maladresses de cette première tentative, il y a beaucoup de choses à aimer ici.
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Uninspired and average
With such a crazy praise I definitely expected so much more. Of course, it's a good movie, but 1h 40m of two people meeting and parting wasn't a life-changing experience for me. The story tries to break away from romcom, but ends up just being "rom" without "com".Although I found it quite fun how it doesn't take me any effort anymore to switch between English and Korean. I swore at Arthur "If you want to understand her dreams so much just learn damn the language" and "배고파'밖에 몰라?" I also swore at Nora for disregarding her husband so badly and at Hae Seong for being so indecisive and passive. He doesn't deserve Nora, he didn't bother to lift his butt up 12 years ago, so why now?
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It doesn't really say anything new about anything, and this kind of "what if" romance has also been done before. Nevertheless, the film is absolutely successful in being mellow and slice-of-life, and it definitely shows that subtlety is a strength of Asian cinema.
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It was an interesting premise but I got bored by it and felt it dragged on a bit. I guess I felt Teo Yoo's character was weird for wanting to meet up with his childhood crush. I mean they never even dated properly but he had these immense feelings for her. I also don't think I could have been OK as Nora husband having the guy come and visit either. I thought Greta Lee and Teo Yoo were great though.
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Providence
I will make 3 points about this slow paced gem of a movie. First, it introduced me to a concept of Inyeon, and for that reason alone i am grateful to have seen it. Inyeon is a Korean concept referring to the connection between people, and this movie explains that every meeting has a deeper meaning. In Christianity we talk about providence and souls. So Inyeon is not happening at random. Instead, it is guided by Gods providence and shows that we are connected not only in body but also in spirit.Second point, I watched "Past Lives" after a recommendation from a Korean friend and it made me really think about her and our relationship. In fact I have many Korean friends that touched my soul so watching this was very nostalgic and heart-warming for me. I especially appreciate how clean the movie is.
This brings me to the third point. I was mesmerized by the actors and the honest emotions that they expressed. In some instances their acting felt distant but I found substance in it. It was poetic and full of grace and honest. Rarely you see a story that is so open and - I repeat myself - honest. This is how we should all live.
PS. Stay for the post credits and enjoy the song.
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