Berlinale 2023: Celine Song's 'Past Lives' is a nice look at the choices

It will always be a mystery trying to figure out where life takes us next. Even though we cannot see the future, many dwell on their past and the choices they have made. It is an alluring thought process that is generally enticing and stimulating. We may ask ourselves what if over and over again, and we may make an important decision that takes us down a different path today, but our lives will always continue where they are now< /em>. Playwright Celine Song's feature debut is titled Past Lives, a beautiful and warm embrace of a film about these matters of choices and decisions. After its first premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, it screened at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival in the Main Competition section. Everyone seems to be falling in love with this film at both festivals, and it makes me so happy to watch it. I first watched the film at its world premiere at Sundance, putting it on my Best of the Fest list, but wanted to wait until my second Berlinale viewing before writing more of my thoughts on it. I can confirm that it is just as wonderful a second time around.

Written and directed by Céline Song, Past Lives is influenced by her own life and her connection to someone from her past. The film follows a Korean woman who immigrates from Korea to North America at a young age. She takes the English name of Nora Moon and ends up moving to New York. The extremely beautiful and talented Greta Lee is the true heart and soul of this graceful film starring Nora, taking us on a journey into her emotions and intimate experiences growing up and falling in love. Nora is nowadays married to a charming Jewish man from New York named Arthur, played tenderly by John Magaro. But before meeting him, she was in love with a Korean boy named Hae Sung. After reconnecting with him on Skype while she was studying in New York, they split up and didn't speak to each other for 12 years until the moment returned. Hae Sung decides to visit New York and meet Nora, making her dizzy and overwhelmed by the powerful feelings of her past and present. Teo Yoo also stars as Hae Sung, a soft-spoken Korean who always has Nora on his mind, unable to move on or forget about her. The film brings the three together for a few awkward scenes.

It's clear from the answer so far, Past Lives is going to be one of the most adored movies of 2023, for good reason. I am impressed that this is the first feature film directed by Céline Song, because she so carefully tells this story with humility and empathy. This movie deserves just as much love and attention as The Worst Person in the World, similar in many ways to that of a woman trying to figure out how she feels between the two men most important in his life. It's just as heartfelt and honest, though Nora's emotions aren't as apparent as Julie's in Worst Person. However, it is equally authentic and convincing. Greta Lee is outstanding in the lead role of Nora, with two fine supporting performances from Teo Yoo and John Magaro. It's obviously an autobiographical creation, exploring his feelings through film, although this time it works wonders. The very emotional ending and the perfect final shots in the final scenes hit hard. That's when the tears started to flow for me. I'm glad so many others have really connected with it too, I'm not the only one raving about it and talking about how it will stick with us through the year despite an early start.< /p >

Even through awkward scenes, powerful conversations, and awkward moments, Past Lives is a film with a warm, fuzzy feel. It's a reminder that you belong exactly to you and that we should learn to trust each other more. If all the choices you've made in your life have led you to this point today, respect that "destiny" and believe in yourself. We can always remember and wonder what else, but maybe those paths come from another life, not the one we live now. It's a Buddhist philosophy that's invigorating to see in a mainstream movie like this. Song did a wonderful job of telling this story and filling it with the beauty of humanity on screen. How can you put into words all the emotions and feelings one person has for another? It's impossible. No language spoken on this planet has the right words to describe all these feelings and their nuances. There is, however, the language of cinema. It combines storytelling...