“Past Lives” captures the eternal ache, Greta Lee receives Spotlight Award
Written by Nevin Allen. Photos by Cole Mihalich.
The directorial debut of Celine Song, “Past Lives” follows two friends as their relationship develops, pushes them apart and brings them together at various points over 24 years. Starring Greta Lee as Nora, Teo Yoo as Hae Sung, and John Magaro as Arthur, the film is richly reflective of not only the Korean-American immigrant experience but also the two mostly separate cultural circles that blend to form it.
Though it runs a mere 106 minutes, “Past Lives” is by no means a fast film. Slow, sweeping shots at incredibly wide camera angles have the audience constantly searching for the characters, both for the meaning in their body language and their literal locations on the screen. It is meditative, lush with silence, empty space, and gazes into the unknown. While this will no doubt be a point of contention for many viewers, and the film likely could have cut several minutes with no real damage, there is a value in the firm quiet of “Past Lives.”
The real heart of “Past Lives” is its performances. Greta Lee portrays Nora as a careful, accepting woman not bogged down by her past, making it all the more impactful when her connection to Hae Sung begins to unravel her. Teo Yoo’s Hae Sung is sentimental and nostalgic, but thrown into a world that requires strength and determination he fears he does not possess. Arthur, perhaps the simplest character, is in love with Nora, but doubts her feelings for him when he sees her unprecedented attachment to Hae Sung reignite her. The world of the film exists primarily as a beautiful backdrop for the dense, complex relationships between these characters, while also adding a layer of impressive visual beauty.
Just beyond its veil of obsessive blues and intrusive yellows lies an uncontaminated sincerity that a lesser artist may have soiled with tactless humor or superficial action. Still, the film is genuinely funny, not only in its writing but in its deadpan, often bewildered delivery. Jokes are delivered from one character to another in the form of expositional snippets or plot-important dialogue but also from the filmmakers to the audience, with many scenes involving clever gags surrounding a language barrier. The three principal characters each speaking varying levels of both Korean and English allows for private conversations in plain sight, an impeccable vessel for the timeless ache that comes to define the film as a whole. The film’s shots and environments are also dense with mirrors, often showing multiple characters simultaneously despite a disconnect in space.
Book ending “Past Lives” screening at the Lucas Theater, Greta Lee was honored with SCAD’s Spotlight Award for her achievements in acting and gave a brief Question and Answer session.
