We all had a childhood crush, but what if it's more than that? What if after being separated by continents and more than 20 years, you reconnect? Is it fate? That is the central question of Past Lives, the feature debut for playwright Celine Song. And what a debut it is, as the movie spans decades and continents and yet is a masterclass in making a story feel intimate and singular, while also lyrical and universal.
Loosely based on Song's own life, the story follows Nora (Greta Lee), whose family immigrated to Canada from South Korea when she was 12 years old. Years later she reconnects with Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), her childhood sweetheart. Though Nora has made a life for herself in New York with her husband Arthur (John Magaro), when Hae Sung comes to visit they wonder if their reunion is "in yun," a South Korean word meaning providence or fate.
