Origin and release year: United States (2023 – Past Lives)

Starring: Greta Lee, Yoo Teo, John Magaro, Isaac Cole, Kristen Sieh, Choi Won Young, Chang Ki Ha, Chase Sui Wonders, Moon Seung Ah, Im Seung Min, Yoon Ji Hye, Ahn Min Young, Seo Yeon Woo, Shin Hee Chul, Park Jun Hyuk, Hwang Seung Eon, Jonica T. Gibbs, John-Deric Mitchell

Director: Celine Song

Screenwriter: Celine Song

Synopsis: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart 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. (IMDb)

Whilst this film has gotten rave reviews… Personally, for this writer, it wasn’t interesting enough to watch till the end. 

Of course, we need to give credit where it’s due. The directing and acting in this film cannot be flawed at all because all of the actors were phenomenal without a doubt. The movie is truly an emotionally deep masterpiece and we can appreciate that about it (or the majority of the film that this writer watched). . 

It does make you question a lot of things as the characters are relatable and go through struggles we can all identity with in some shape or form. Which is another reason to give it its flowers.

The film is quite melancholic despite the optimistic undertones. However, combine that with the fact that it’s a slow burn… This probably why this movie isn’t my cup of tea. 

There is a huge awkward (almost cringe) factor in the film. It’s hard to explain unless you’ve actually seen the film. It’s kind of integral to the storyline and portraying that friction of ‘what could have been’. But it’s not just awkwardness. It’s nuanced and it’s layered and maybe you need to be in a certain mood to be able to digest that kind of film because that awkwardness is a huge part of the reason that this writer dropped the film. 

That, along with the fact that I’m not originally the biggest fan of slow burn anything. TV series, films, nothing – there are times when its done in a way that captivates me, but for the most part it feels like a slow drag that requires too much investment. 

I also looked into other reviews to see what could be the cause of my dislike for this film but again, it seems like I’m the only one who didn’t absolutely love it. The Kdrama Musings podcast, however, gave me one reason. They said, “This film is like the drama My Liberation Notes.” 

Case closed. I dropped My Liberation Notes too because it was too slow. There we have it folks. That’s our verdict. Past Lives as a film that is complete and done beautifully in every sense. However, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. It might be yours though.

What did you think of Past Lives? Let us know in the comments!