Past Lives
Year: 2023
Rating: PG-13
Length: 105 minutes / 1.75 hours
With the varied and expansive amount of films that have been made, it’s a little bizarre that one as simple as Past Lives (2023) hasn’t been made before. Sure, there are plenty of star-crossed lover stories out there, but none as realistic as the one presented here. Usually, there’s some amount of “destiny brings them together” that provides hope to the audience. Much like the endings of Broadcast News (1987) or La La Land (2016), the fairy tale expectation doesn’t align with the reality that many people experience.
For all its simplicity, Past Lives does a good job of showing the stages of a long-term and long-distance friendship. Each section gave the genuine impression of being filmed at the time it was meant to occur (without relying on the same level of dedication as Boyhood (2014)). The filmmakers expertly brought the characters’ authentic feelings to the screen. And maybe the emotions were slightly more reserved because of the culture of the two lead characters, but perhaps it works better to show that a childhood friendship can also contain deep levels of love.
Of course, with something so simple as missed opportunities between close friends, there isn’t much more here than this basic conflict. The language barrier adds some awkward moments in the third act, but that’s also where some of the most profound statements of this film reside. Past Lives provides comfort for those who have to make the tough decisions to move on. There’s something romantic about waiting for the perfect person—especially when you’ve already met them—but the reality is that perfection is always the enemy of good enough.
A simple film about the eternity of close connections, I give Past Lives 4.0 stars out of 5.
