Netflix fans burst into tears over ‘beautiful’ Korean-American romance Past Lives – and say it’s as good as One Day
Viewers of Past Lives have burst into tears watching the ‘beautiful’ Korean-American film on Netflix – as fans compare it to One Day and Normal People.
The romantic drama is directed by Celine Song and developed by American film production company A24, which developed Priscilla and Aftersun.
The film – starring Greta Lee and Teo Yoo – follows two childhood friends Na and Hae Sun whose lives take a drastic turn after she emigrates to North America with her family.
After collecting more than $24 million at the box office, the critically acclaimed film – which won Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards last night and is nominated for Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars – was recently added to Netflix in Britain.
In its 10 days on the streaming platform, awed viewers have responded enthusiastically to its “beautiful” portrayal of lost love and the challenges of emigrating.
Celine Song’s writer-director debut, Past Lives, caused a social media firestorm after its Netflix debut, despite being released last year. The film follows two childhood sweethearts Nora (played by Greta Lee, left) and Hae Sun (played by Teo Yoo, right)
One wrote: ‘Super late to the party but Past Lives is sublime. Incredible performance that says so much with body language and silence.’
Referring to Sally Rooney’s hugely popular TV adaptation starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones, another added: ‘Normal people walked so past lives could run!’
“One of the best movies of awards season,” said a third. ‘Beautifully acted and directed. The screenplay is PERFECT.’
“Ugly crying rewatching Past Lives,” said a fourth fan. ‘What a video! I think the last ten minutes are almost perfect.”
“Between Past Lives and One Day I’m really getting tired of wistful, depressing, beautiful love stories this weekend,” says a fifth. “Maybe I should rewatch Normal People or something else to really overload it.”
When the film was first released, it was praised by industry heavyweight Christopher Nolan, who narrated it Time magazine that it was one of his favorite recent films, along with Aftersun.
The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw said: ‘This heartbreakingly romantic and sad film from Korean-Canadian dramatist and filmmaker Celine Song left me wrung out, empty and strangely euphoric, as if I had experienced an 18-month affair during the course. of an hour and forty-five minutes.’
Meanwhile, Nick De Semlyen is from rich Magazine said: ‘A transcendent debut for South Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song, this romantic drama is a masterclass in slow, simmering storytelling. It will stay with you, perhaps even into your next life.’
“Celine Song makes a quietly spectacular writing-directing debut with Past Lives, a lyrical slow burn of a film that expertly holds back the wellsprings of emotion until it unleashes a torrent,” said the film’s Ann Hornaday. WashingtonPost.
The resurgence in the film’s popularity comes after Netflix’s adaptation of One Day surpassed 15.2 million streams in just 11 days. The 14-part series starring Ambika Mod, 28, and Leo Woodall, 27, launched on February 8 and has since captivated hearts with its moving storyline and heartbreaking ending.
Past Lives follows Na or Nora (played by Greta Lee) and Hae Sun (played by Teo Yoo), two childhood sweethearts who are separated after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea to Canada.
At the age of 12, the couple has their last face-to-face meeting for 20 years. As they walk back from school together, Hae Sun walks along a flat path as Na climbs the stairs, symbolic of Hae Sun’s stagnant future without Nora as her life continues without him.
Na changes her name to Nora and explores new land and its possibilities in Canada before settling as a playwright in New York, married to an American man named Arthur.
Nora and Hae Sun meet again in New York after Hae Sun tracks down his former lover through social media
At the age of 12, Nora emigrates to Canada with her family, while Hae Sung continues her life in Korea. The couple’s final scene in their childhood shows Nora climbing the stairs while Hae Sung continues on a flat path, a metaphor for their future
The former lovers reunite in New York, twenty years after they last saw each other, and confront themes of love and fate
The film’s resurgence in popularity comes after Netflix’s adaptation of One Day (pictured) surpassed 15.2 million streams in just 11 days
Hae Sun takes an engineering course, completes mandatory military service, and then takes a job in what he considers an ordinary life.
Both keep in touch occasionally via Skype. Twenty years later, the pair are reunited for a week and confront themes of love, fate and the complexities of being an immigrant, as viewers wonder if they will end up together.
The film explores a compelling motif called In-Yun, a Korean word for reincarnation that explains that interactions between two people in this life are due to the interactions in their past lives.
Past Lives reached cinemas in September last year. However, it has since been revived following its Netflix debut this month.
And like the film it references, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, the film has achieved cult classic status among critics and viewers alike.
The film’s arrival on Netflix created a buzz on social media five months after its cinematic release
Celine Song accepted the Best Feature Award at the Spirit Awards last night and said, “There is a concept in our film, it is an Eastern concept and it is about what finding and being in the same space and time in this life means that we had actually known each other for many, many lifetimes prior to this.
“And I think in making this film I felt this way about everyone who’s on stage here, and I know they felt the same way.
“Accepting the award for best feature on behalf of all of them and on behalf of our team, it’s a feeling of me getting to where I feel, you know, so less lonely because I know everyone here feels the same.”
Celine Song was born in South Korea, but moved to Ontario, Canada, at the age of 12.