Writer/Director: Celine Song
Starring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
‘Mesmerizing Masterpiece’
Childhood crushes are tragic lovers that rarely last forever. Everyone remembers a bright time when they fell in love with a crush under moonlight. Like a box of chocolates, we have pleasant memories of soulmates. As magnificent as L.A. artists’ melodies, crushes form our identity. It’s hard to forget the first time we lay eyes on soulmates we idolize before sunrise. While we remember crushes fondly, they are temporary. From a personal point-of-view, I’ve learned crushes are dreams that rarely come true. I first understood joy of having a crush in boyhood. From an early age, I fell for a girl with ambition of marriage. As a shy wallflower teenager, I didn’t have guts to ask out a girl in school that was popular. Fearing I’d look like a fool, I could never ask out a cool girl in school. Called ‘drop-dead gorgeous’, she was a girl the entire school would admire. Dressed to impress, she was only the girl I talked to with success. I remember art classes where we bonded by drawing in a notebook together. However, our bond ended in 500 days of Summer. When my family moved to Canada, I faced a dilemma. As my family hurried to leave, I worried I’d never be with a girl I fancied. Just when sparks started to fly, it was hard saying farewell bringing tears to eyes. Years after I immigrated, reunions are lost in translation in cities miles separated. In a parasite situation we can’t reunite. I debate whether she would be my soulmate if I didn’t immigrate. In the mood for love, I miss a girl I once valued. Why is the heartache of crushes hard to shake?
As someone haunted by companions in past lives with whom I parted, I connected with Celine Song’s movie “Past Lives”. Inspirational, heartbreaking and thought-provoking, it commemorates childhood sweethearts’ larger-than-life memories. Song encapsulates compassionate portraits of a pair of childhood soulmates that separate. Boasting awe-inspiring production-design, extraordinary storytelling and phenomenal performances, it’s a masterpiece. Conclusively, its heartfelt message resonates with everyone forced to separate from their longtime companions by fate.
Amidst New York, “Past Lives” follows childhood companions experiencing reunions following immigration. Greta Lee embodies Nora, an Asian-American woman demonstrating connections with childhood companion Hae-Sung (Teo Yoo). Following family’s immigration, Nora separates from companions. However, decades later they reunite under unexpected circumstances when Nora is married. Experiencing tensions, Nora contemplates decisions abandoning childhood companions.
Celine Song is a newcomer to romance. A Korean playwright, Song has never made movies about lovers that reunite. It’s Song’s endeavors capturing childhood lovers separated after crossing borders, but she succeeds. For a first-time filmmaker from Korea, Song excels behind the camera. Using captivating cinematography, Song demonstrates an Asian-American woman’s journey. Evoking Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”, Song uses montages to capture impact of immigration on companions. Like montages capturing Mason’s farewell to parents before college, Nora bids goodbye to Hae-Sung. Montages are tricky. If Michel Gondry’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” indicated anything, montages elevate love stories about couples whose memories are deteriorated. As Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” suggested, montages elevate satires about social inequalities. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Alongside cinematographer Shabier Kirchner, Song encapsulates recollections. Song commemorates childhood companions, manufacturing theatrical viewing.
If past lovers don’t attract you towards theaters, however, there’s innumerable reasons to see “Past Lives”. From a technical-point-of-view, the film so well-made it’s hard to believe it’s a directorial debut. Assisted by production-designer Grace Yun, Song uses bars to illustrate how fate impacts soulmates. For instance, bars elevate the final meeting scene. During this heartbreaking scene, Hae-Sung converses with Nora about their past lives in a bar. One appreciates bars recalling Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land”. Like Sebastian’s dreams of being Mia’s husband, Hae-Sung imagines fantasy where Nora didn’t immigrate. It made me imagine a ‘what-if’ scenario wondering whether I would be with soulmates if my family didn’t immigrate years ago. Bars are tricky settings. As Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” suggested, bars are suited to stories of lovers lost in translation. Nevertheless, it works. Furthermore, music is superb. Reminiscing Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise”, it demonstrates relationships before sunrise. Through awe-inspiring production-design, Song commemorates crushes.
Another extraordinary “Past Lives” aspect is the screenplay. Song’s screenwriting strength is capturing emotional connections between companions through flashbacks. In Hollywood, movies rarely address childhood lovers maintaining relationships under stress. As a case-in-point: Nick Cassavetes’ “The Notebook” depicted childhood sweethearts as lovers documented in notebooks that are celebrated. Fortunately, however, “Past Lives” avoids problems. Song captures short-lived nature of crushes scarcely lasting forever. Inspired by Robert Zemeckis’ “Forrest Gump”, Song captures companions through flashbacks. Like Forrest Gump’s memories of Jennie recounted in Alabama, flashbacks showcase Nora’s meetings with Hae-Sung in China. Flashbacks are so well integrated they reminded me of my crush with whom I parted. Flashbacks are complicated. Marc Webb’s “500 Days of Summer” suggested non-linear storytelling elevates rom-coms about lovers experiencing 500 days of Summer. As Stephen Chobsky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” proved, flashbacks elevate adaptations. However, it works. Through thought-provoking storytelling, Song demonstrates longtime sweethearts.
One appreciates award-worthy performances.
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Greta Lee delivers a star-making performance as Nora. Lee achieved acknowledgements playing comedic journalists on television (ex. “The Morning Show”). With “Past Lives”, however,” she portrays an immigrant. It’s challenging to personify an immigrant, but Lee succeeds. Emulating Awkwafina in Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell”, Lee portrays an Asian-American immigrant becoming unwell when she bids companions farewell. With larger-than-life expressions, she demonstrates apprehensions, desperation and resentments of an immigrant. It’s a breakthrough turn suggesting Lee is destined stardom.
Teo Yoo is terrific as a tormented man seeking to reconnect with past lovers whom he regards with respect. While Lee gets the showier role, Yoo is equally effective at capturing a childhood sweetheart’s soul. Evoking Tony Leung in Wong Kar-Wai’s “In the Mood for Love”, Yoo portrays an Asian-American man in the mood for love demonstrating negative attitude towards romance after losing companions he valued. Whether he’s staring at Nora in Skype meetings or longing for fantasies where his crush didn’t end up immigrating, Yoo personifies lovers by gestures. It’s a phenomenal performance.
Lastly, John Magaro is magnificent. As Nora’s husband Arthur, he’s heartbreaking.
Finally, “Past Lives” would incite appreciation of everyone recollecting crushes they fell in love with at first sight under moonlight. Evoking Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”, it demonstrates plight of children separated from lovers without possibilities to reunite. It tackles universal themes including adolescence, destiny and immigration. Despite capturing Asian-American communities, it transcends cross-cultural boundaries. Therefore, “Past Lives” is a movie everyone will adore.
Fans of romantic dramas will definitely recognize “Past Lives” and so will audiences seeking heartbreaking entertainment. A magnificent masterpiece, it proves movies shine moonlight into lives of people leaving their crushes that can’t reunite. A powerful portrait of fate leading soulmates reminiscing past lives to suddenly separate, it’s a heartbreaking depiction of crushes that disintegrate which could motivate modern individuals to cope with disillusionments after leaving affectionate soulmates.
Like the delicious box of chocolates eaten by Gump war veterans in the United States, it’s a realistic reminder that fate is a powerful force causing individuals suffering from low IQ rates serving armies to leave soulmates.
A devastating depiction of impact of immigration on childhood companions, it’s a bold reminder of repercussions faced by children moving houses in boyhood causing separation from crushes without any chance of reunion.
If movies can shine ray of sunshine on another day of sun into dark lives of lovers that part ways with their crushes today, hopefully it paves way for lovers to recover realizing crushes are fantasies lived by musicians in L.A.
As emotional as the goodbyes between Asian lovers, it has made me hopeful to move on after parting way with a special girl by unforeseeable fate whose inspirational memory I’ll honor leaving past lives behind to build future that’s conceivable.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 