"Past Lives" Time to say goodbye

"Past Lives" Synopsis

Nora, a 12-year-old girl, and Hye-sung, a boy, live in Seoul. They are in love with each other, but are separated when Nora moves overseas. 12 years later, at the age of 24, they are living separate lives in New York and Seoul, but they meet again online and miss each other despite their mutual feelings for each other. Then, 12 years later, at the age of 36, Nora has married Arthur, a writer. Despite knowing this, Hye-sung visits New York to see Nora. The two finally meet for the first time in 24 years, and spend the next seven days together. What fate will they choose?

Index

• 12 years
• Listening facial expression
• Say goodbye slowly

12 years

This gem of a work may be healing for those who cannot forget someone. Nora (Greta Lee) and Hye-sung (Yoo Teo) were separated at a young age. They meet again after 24 years, straddling the big cities of Seoul and New York. When they were young, they would always talk about each other to their parents when they returned home. For the two young people, the word "lovers" was too early. When Nora decided to move overseas, the two were separated without ever naming their relationship. Hye-sung continues to think about Nora, who suddenly disappeared from his sight.

For Nora as a young girl, Hye-sung was the only person who cared when she cried. After moving to America, Nora finds out that no one notices her tears. Not only does she throw away her real name from her time in Korea, Na-young, but she also throws away her tears. For Nora, throwing away her tears was a way to survive as an immigrant. Now 36 years old, Nora is married to Arthur (John Magaro), an American writer.

"Past Lives" Copyright 2022 © Twenty Years Rights LLC. All Rights Reserved

"Past Lives" (23) depicts the 24 years of two people who meet at the ages of 12, 24, and 36. The number "12" is the number of months in a year, the number of Chinese zodiac signs, the number of the 12 constellations, and the number into which the total hours of a day are divided. It is the number that is the basis of our sense of time, our lives, and our lifestyles.

Has that person from back then vanished somewhere? When we remember an unforgettable person who has vanished from our sight, we chase the image of that time. The image is beautified, only parts are extracted, and it is expanded and close-up in our minds. When our hearts cannot bear the expanding emotions, thinking that, after all, we just liked that person back then may temporarily heal the open wound. Nora says that she left a 12-year-old girl in Hye-sung's heart. The passage of 12 years, and then 24 years, is enough time for a person to slowly change. Even if the same thing happens again and again between the two of them, something has changed from before.

Director Celine Song uses the Korean concept of "Inyoung" to create a masterpiece that is both an extremely romantic film and also depicts something like a larger "providence." When translating the concept of "Inyoung," the word "fate" (as translated in the official Japanese version) seems more appropriate than the somewhat stronger word "fate." At least in this film, it is expressed as a generous concept. This is consistent with the personalities of Nora, Hye-sung, and Arthur, who do not try to "possess" each other.

Listening facial expression