FILIPINOS can now enjoy the quiet, poignant “Past Lives” in more than 100 theaters.
The directorial debut of writer-director Celine Song, the modern romance has a captivating script and stunning visuals that has earned it praises and is being hailed as one of the best films of the year.
It presents an exploration of the journey of childhood sweethearts Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) who find themselves separated by oceans but bound by an unbreakable thread of emotions.
At its heart is a tender love of childhood sweethearts whose paths diverge when one moves to the United States. The two find solace in the virtual embrace of video chats that bridged the distance. Across time zones, they exchange stories and laughter, maintaining a connection that defies the geographical gulf between them.
Nora’s aspirations to be a writer come with dreams of a reality she wants to create, a reality in which she yearns for a love that not only exists through screens. She asks Hae Sung to end their virtual exchange. Seven years later, Hae Sung takes a leap of faith and flies to the United States, about to meet his childhood sweetheart after twenty years. However, her heart, once solely bound to Hae Sung, now belongs to another writer, Arthur, her husband.
Hae Sung’s arrival paints a picture of bittersweet irony. His journey was not just a literal one across continents but a symbolic one through time. As he gazes at the woman he had loved so fiercely, he understands her fully. Hae Sung also finds himself drawn to Arthur’s genuineness. A sense of understanding settles in him, recognizing the barriers that life had erected between them. Later, Nora walks Hae Sung – a final farewell. She later clings to her husband (John Magaro), tears mingling with her silent gratitude for the love she has found.
In a world where connections are made and lost with the blink of an eye, “Past Lives” emerges as a poignant reminder of the profound impact love and distance can have on two individuals intertwined by fate.
