Past Lives

Nora and Hae Sung grew up together in Korea as close childhood friends, but their connection is cut when Nora's family emigrates and she builds a new life far away. Years later, an online exchange brings them back into each other's lives, and Hae Sung eventually travels to New York, where Nora now lives as a married writer. Over the course of a week together, the two confront what they meant to each other as children, what they have become as adults, and the choices that have shaped their separate lives. The film moves between Korea, Canada and the United States, and follows the pair at different points in their lives rather than in a single decisive moment.

Past Lives is the feature debut of writer-director Celine Song, who also wrote the screenplay; the producers include Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler and David Hinojosa. Greta Lee plays Nora, Teo Yoo plays Hae Sung, and John Magaro plays Arthur. It was made for 12 million dollars and took in about 28 million worldwide, a strong return for a film of its scale.

Its ratings are high across sources: 7.8/10 on IMDb from 170,000 votes and 7.7/10 on TMDB from 2,471 votes. Critics were even more enthusiastic, giving it 9.1/10 from 321 reviews. Song has since directed Goddess and Materialists.