Past Lives

A touching film about a first love long past but unfulfilled. The characters haven't seen each other for 24 years, haven't spoken for 12 years, and now they meet in the middle of New York, hoping to find common ground again. Their common language is Korean: Nora, who moved from her native Seoul to America, hasn't forgotten it yet, and her childhood love Hee-San still hasn't mastered English over the years.

An important role is played by the untranslatable Korean concept of "inyeon" - an inseparable connection between two people over many lifetimes. This "inyeon" is what the film captures.

The directorial debut of playwright Celine Song, enthusiastically received at the Berlinale and Sundance: "the first great film of 2023," "a treasure," "one of the strongest debuts at Sundance in recent years."