Past Lives Was Underwhelming (Even for a Slow-Paced Film Lover)

CAUTION: This review some contains spoilers

I finally got to watch Past Lives. It’s been on my watch list for over a year, and to be honest... it was very underwhelming.

Don’t get me wrong the story was beautiful: a young girl leaves her native country, South Korea, because her family is emigrating to the U.S., leaving behind a boy she shares a deep connection with. Years later, they reconnect as adults and confront what was left unsaid.

But the execution of this beautiful story was lackluster. The movie felt EXTREMELY slow. While I was watching, I just couldn't wait for each scene to be over, hoping it would finally pick up or get to a good part. But no, it stayed slow, with lots of unnecessary, dialogue and lengthy scenes that dragged on far past their emotional weight.

You’re probably thinking, “Girl, you just don’t like slow-paced movies.” Absolutely not! I actually love them downnnnnnnnn (especially slow paced Korean films) A Man and A Woman, Microhabitat, House of Hummingbird, Swallow, The Joker (2019)... the list goes on.

The thing is, with slow movies like those, the dialogue is profound or the long scenes are visually stunning; the lighting, facial expressions, or background draws you. All of it playing a vital role to the story it’s telling.

With Past Lives, the scenery was just basic, and the dialogue felt like it was filling the emptiness of the scene. At one point I thought I was watching cheaters with the angles and flat conversations. It was like they just threw on an a24 filter to make the film attract a certain audience (i'm apart of that audience).

The only parts I actually enjoyed were the beginning: when the three of them were at the bar and the offscreen voices were guessing who they are to each other & at the end when Nora walked Hae Sung to his Uber, embracing their last minutes of each other. Then when she broke down into her husband’s arms? I was like TEAAAAAAAAAAA. It’s finally getting juicy... then the credits popped up.

Rating: 5/10

I’d rate this a 5/10. I think one day I will revisit this movie and give an update if I still have the same thoughts. Cause I lowkey feel like something is wrong with me for not enjoying this. Maybe another time it’ll click. We’ll see...

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