Film

Past Lives

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A24·2023·Created by Celine Song
26 think pieces
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The Guardian·Tymon Czyk
Celine Song on adapting her life for surprise hit Past Lives: ‘It becomes its own story’ | Past Lives | The Guardian

Celine Song turned a real-life bar encounter—her husband, her Korean childhood sweetheart, herself translating between both—into *Past Lives*, now an Oscar-buzzing debut sensation.

Read at theguardian.com
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The Guardian·Peter Bradshaw
Past Lives review – a must-see story of lost loves, childhood crushes and changing identities | Past Lives | The Guardian

Celine Song's debut is a quietly devastating romance about a Korean immigrant and her childhood sweetheart reuniting decades later. Deeply emotional, unmissably good.

Read at theguardian.com
New Statesman
Celine Song’s Past Lives review: The trap of autobiographical art - New Statesman

A Korean immigrant's decades-spanning almost-romance earns both praise and scrutiny — does autobiographical filmmaking limit *Past Lives*, or elevate it?

Read at newstatesman.com
monstagigz·Aline Mahrud
FILM REVIEW: Past Lives written & directed by Celine Song | monstagigz

A quietly devastating debut about childhood sweethearts, fate, and roads not taken. Celine Song's restrained, wordless storytelling makes it one of the year's best films.

Read at monstagigz.com
IndieWire·Kate Erbland
Celine Song on Why 'Past Lives' Is 'Not at All About a Love Triangle'

Celine Song reframes *Past Lives* as a story about identity and immigration, not romantic rivalry — drawn from A24's new screenplay book.

Read at indiewire.com
Serenades of a dreamer (WordPress blog)·Ali Sohani
Past Lives (2023) – Film Review and Analysis | Serenades of a dreamer...

A tender, restrained meditation on childhood bonds, migration, and roads not taken. Worth your time if quiet emotional depth beats plot-driven storytelling.

Read at alisohani.wordpress.com
Variety·Peter Debruge
'Past Lives' Review: Celine Song's Understated Sundance Stunner

A24's quiet, emotional debut from Celine Song tracks a Korean woman across decades and two continents, haunted by the love she left behind.

Read at variety.com
IndieWire·David Ehrlich
‘Past Lives’ Review: Celine Song’s Transcendent Debut Is Destined to Be One of 2023’s Best Films | Naro Expanded Cinema

A Korean immigrant torn between her childhood sweetheart and her American husband. Celine Song's debut is quietly devastating, anchored by a miraculous Greta Lee performance.

Read at narocinema.com
Film Feeder
REVIEW: Past Lives (2023, dir. Celine Song)

A Korean concept of fated love anchors this quietly devastating debut. Greta Lee and Teo Yoo reunite across decades in an emotionally honest, unsentimental romance.

Read at filmfeeder.co.uk
IndieWire·David Ehrlich
‘Past Lives’ Review: Celine Song’s Transcendent Debut Is Destined to Be One of 2023’s Best Films

Celine Song's debut *Past Lives* earns a rave from IndieWire — a deeply felt immigrant love story with a miraculous Greta Lee performance.

Read at indiewire.com
The Guardian·Peter Bradshaw
Past Lives review – a spine-tingling romance of lost chances | Romance films | The Guardian

Childhood sweethearts separated by emigration reconnect across decades and continents. Celine Song's debut is a quietly devastating, unmissable romance about identity, longing, and the lives not lived.

Read at theguardian.com
Los Angeles Review of Books·Asher Luberto
When Mise-En-Scène Is Metaphor: On Celine Song’s “Past Lives” | Los Angeles Review of Books

Song's visual analysis of *Past Lives* reveals how Celine Song uses sculpture and mise-en-scène to dramatize emotional distance and paths not taken.

Read at lareviewofbooks.org