Past Lives Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Past Lives Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 20, 2023

The term "unrequited love" gets bandied about quite a bit, sometimes without a consistent "definition" in every case, but if one were to have a Cinematic Dictionary at hand that only referenced movies to explain concepts, kind of ironically chances are Past Lives would suffice quite handily to provide an apt example, though the question would still remain as to which party in a potential relationship is not having their feelings returned, since there's something akin to a ping pong match in that regard as this "love story" plays out over several decades. Past Lives is a bittersweet, understated effort that is long on character even without a really forceful narrative through line, other than in the ins and outs that people experience over the course of many decades in their lives. A lot of the South Korean or South Korean adjacent films that turn up in my personal review queue can tend to be horror outings like Train to Busan and Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (to name just two of a pretty lengthy list), and so this film came as a really welcome change of pace, though I might jokingly add that the pace can be somewhat relaxed in this film which is built around the, well, unconsummated and/or unrequited love between Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Tee Yoo). On the "unrequited" end of the spectrum, it might frankly be unfair to call the story depicted in Past Lives "traditional" unrequited love, though as the story unfolds it does appear that Hae Sung might have more of a thing for Nora than vice versa, at least maybe, but a third description, this one coined by none other than William Shakespeare himself, star-cross'd lovers, might be the best way to sum up a long lived relationship between two people that certainly has aspects of love, and maybe even a deep love, even if things never end up getting to that ever popular happily ever after.

Writer and director Celine Song is on hand in some supplements on this disc freely discussing how at least some of Past Lives is culled from her own personal experience, including spending the first part of her childhood in South Korea, only to be uprooted to Canada and then finally New York. Similarly focal female Na Young, who later Americanizes her name to Nora (Greta Lee), experiences the same geographical trajectory, perhaps without the Canada part, since the film sets up a childhood friendship that is blossoming into romance between young Na Young and her classmate Hae Sung (played by Teo Yoo as an adult), and then segues to a "twelve years later" timeline that finds both characters in new lives as adults.

Nora has matriculated quite easily in the long run to Western life, and she's an up and coming writer, probably on the cusp of at least minor celebrity. Hae Sung has to complete his required military duty and seems none too happy about it, but when a Facebook page devoted to Nora's father suddenly has a post from Hae Sung asking about (as he still calls her) Na Young, Nora is intrigued, thinking back to the "boyfriend" she might have had. She reaches out to him virtually, and the two are soon catching up via the internet. Could a real romance be rekindled? The potential seems more than a mere possibility, but with Nora in New York and Hae Sung in Seoul, and with both having commitments that keep them firmly ensconced where they are, Nora makes the perhaps perplexing decision to break off contact.

Sufficie it to say that after another span of time, they do make contact, but by that point Nora is involved in a relationship with a Caucasian guy named Arthur (John Magaro). The rest of the narrative plies some admittedly quiet but still rather visceral territory where Nora and Hae Sung keep wondering if "what might have been" could morph into "what is", with Nora having to also navigate her relationship with Arthur. There's nothing overly melodramatic or even really very histrionic in this story, which is frankly one of things that appealed to me most about it. This is subtle, naturalistic filmmaking that allows itself the space to breathe, and for those willing to go with the sometimes languorous flow, the film has quite a lasting emotional impact.

Past Lives Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Past Lives is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Shot on good old fashioned film and finished at 4K, this is a really beautifully textured, organic viewing experience that offers the same kind of visual depth that the emotional content of the film provides, and I'm frankly really happy that Song decided to go with 35mm, since it gives things less of the flat, glossy aspect that digital captures can sometimes offer. The palette is generally well suffused, though I'd argue a few individual scenes may be graded just a bit too far toward peach-yellow tones. There are some passing minor deficiencies in shadow definition in a couple of very dimly lit scenes, but on the whole detail levels are excellent throughout, and when close-ups are employed, fine detail can be extremely precise looking.

Past Lives Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Past Lives features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is largely though not exclusively in English, with several Korean interludes offering forced English subtitles. The film is unabashedly "talky", and as such there isn't an onslaught of effects, other than some well placed ambient environmental sounds and a nicely immersive treatment for the evocative score by Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen (I just this morning received a promotional email from A24 that the soundtrack has been released on white vinyl). Dialogue is always delivered cleanly and clearly without any issues. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Past Lives Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Writer / Director Celine Song and Actors Greta Lee and Teo Yoo


• Bound by Fate: Exploring Past Lives (HD; 17:36) is an interesting EPK which addresses some of what I'd call the "metaphysical" underpinnings of the story, wherein characters feel like they're brought together over many incarnations for some "reason".


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 7:17)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:27)


• Also from A24 offers an aggregation of trailers for other A24 releases which serve as a great example of why this "little" company made the apex of my Top 10 list last year in lieu of a single film.

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Past Lives Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Speaking of A24, if Everything Everywhere All At Once offered a freewheeling depiction of how everything and/or everyone is interrelated across countless so-called "multiverses", Past Lives does somewhat similar service, albeit much less chaotically, with regard to everything and/or everyone being interrelated across countless incarnations. This is a really impressive feature debut from Song, one graced with a rare restraint and buoyed by some excellent performances. Technical merits are solid and the supplements, while not numerous, are very enjoyable. Recommended.