It seems that everyone is currently raving about Past Lives, perhaps that is just the algorithm pushing this film into my life, but ever since I saw the trailer for it, Past Lives just keeps popping up on my feed. So, when I had the chance to see it, I had to take the plunge. Past Lives is the decades-long story of two people who were each other’s childhood sweethearts reconnecting multiple times only to finally meet years later when one of them is already married.

Before we get into this film, I feel we should discuss its creator, the wonderfully talented Celine Song. Celine is a New York based writer, much like her main character who not only has created some conventional plays but has also worked in television, specifically on The Wheel of Time and also used The Sims 4 in conjunction with Twitch to put on a very unique performance of Chekhov’s The Seagull.

As films go this one is quite interesting because it only has three characters, true others appear and disappear but only these three matter. In fact, watching them often felt like watching a stage play, which only makes sense especially with Celine Song’s background in theatre.

Without saying too much I loved how Celine managed to humanize each one of her characters, before going into the cinema my other half turned to me and asked which one do you think I’d be rooting for, in reference to each of the men in the film. Coming out of it the answer is neither, because there is no one to root for in this situation, this is not a case of good man vs bad man and in a lesser film they probably would have made one of these men cartoonishly evil, something that John Magaro’s character addresses within the stories confines.

I suppose at this point I should talk about the characters. First up we have Greta Lee who is endlessly charming as Nora, the young woman at the heart of this story, Nora is definitely the type of woman you would journey across the world for. Secondly we have Teo Yoo as Hae Sung and in a lesser actor this character could have come off as creepy but personally, I found him endearing and sweet and finally we have John Magora as Arthur, Nora’s Husband who plays the role open and vulnerable but trusting and honestly I appreciated that. The chemistry these three actors had with each other was perfect and really helped pull us further into this world.

Past Lives is a sweet slow burn, it takes its time and never hurries, which in many ways suits the plot of the film. The beginning of the film is dedicated to Nora’s childhood, then it skips forward to her early 20’s and shows her and Hae Sung connecting over skype and finally their meeting in the third act. Along the way Past Lives uses silence and imagery to tell its story in a way that few films know how to do.

And if I am going to mention imagery, I should mention cinematography. I am unfamiliar with Shabier Kirchner but I will be following their career closely. I am guessing that Shabier must have worked closely with Celine Song, because so many images and scenes in this film were somehow mundane yet beautiful, public yet personal, I know that sounds like an oxymoron but it’s true. There is a shot of Nora and Hae Sung in line to go on a boat and it is so average yet the way it is filmed it just had me hooked, I am sorry that this is hard for me to describe but maybe it is best if you just go see it yourselves.

I have seen some reviews that compare Past Lives to works of Woody Allen and I find that very untrue. I always found Allen’s work to be personal but self-gratifying while this film has a certain level of humbleness to it, while at the same time it is deeply personal, beautiful, and intimate.

As someone who once had a very meaningful long-distance relationship this film really cut deep, it is one that is going to open your heart and dear reader if you are anything like me I would advise bringing some tissues along with you to the movie. A stark yet fulfilling modern story that we should all see.