An aching tale about the bonds of love, Past Lives explores the magnetic connection between Nora, a married playwright who immigrated from Korea to New York, and her childhood sweetheart Hae Sung. Spanning 24 years, the film traces the inexpressible threads that pull people together and the fateful realities that unspool their tender desires. There are no sweeping romantic gestures. Instead, the characters maintain an emotional decorum that is profoundly human as they come to grips with the sweet seduction of nostalgia and the inability to get out of it. For those yearning for another installment in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, I suspect they will find Past Lives to be a worthy spiritual successor. (2023) — Ryan Brothers
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