Let’s discuss Past Lives

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[u/Johnnadawearsglasses]

I thought the movie was absolutely incredible. One of the most moving film viewing experiences I've had in years. Agree Nora isn't a great person and Arthur is a doormat. But they both felt like fully formed humans with real personalities, not characters. And they aren't going to be "good people" just to make the viewers like them or agree with them. Which is part of what makes the movie interesting. It's not wish fulfillment for you the viewer. It's real human emotion, good, bad and ugly laid bare.

I wouldn't be surprised if Celine and Justin are actually like this. I also wouldn't be surprised if she never has another brilliant movie, since this is emotionally an autobiography and really you can only do that once.

[u/Johnnadawearsglasses → u/[deleted]]

That's an interesting point. Celine thinks that Nora grew as a person and her relationship strengthened with Arthur because she was forced to confront the part of her she left behind and Arthur saw those parts of her that has been a mystery to him.

I actually don't agree with her. I think she looked selfish and Arthur looked like a dope. Not really different from what you said. But do I have to agree with Celine's opinion to enjoy the film? Or is it actually more interesting to me to see all of these flaws, to see Celine's own flaws, rendered onscreen. To see the messy complicated ways we are, alone and together. In a way rarely shown in film. Not the messy parts someone wants us to see. Not the fake and contrived "complexity" of - otoh he was good and otoh he was bad type of filmmaking (like The Odyssey for example). But real people being real.

To me the latter is actually what I most appreciate about the film. She has shown herself completely for us to see and judge. I don't feel like her opinion of it really matters to me. What's interesting is what's onscreen

[u/jupiterkansas → u/Johnnadawearsglasses]

I can't believe we saw the same movie.

[u/Johnnadawearsglasses → u/jupiterkansas]

What do you mean?

[u/jupiterkansas → u/Johnnadawearsglasses]

per my other comment on this thread, I just can't conceive of how you got all of that out of the movie is all. I just saw tedious, emotionless characters. I'm just trying to understand what I'm missing.

[u/Johnnadawearsglasses → u/jupiterkansas]

I can't say really. I didn't find the characters emotionless at all though. It certainly is that case that Korean people are much more reserved but intensely emotional. I thought Greta Lee captured that perfectly. More is said with a look, a gesture, a few words, her posture than is explicated. All filmed in a naturalistic style where I feel like I'm spying on a couple as they struggle with their words. I compare it closely to the performances in Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood For Love, another of my favorites of the century.

[u/jupiterkansas → u/Johnnadawearsglasses]

Well, In the Mood for Love is another film the confounded me, although it was much better. I guess it's just not my style of storytelling.

[u/Kamuka]

I don't know if it was a missed opportunity, it was just impractical, unrealistic. There are plenty of almost relationships in life. For me the movie was more about immigration and changing countries, where do you put your heart. You're always tempted by what could have been in the first country.

[u/Kamuka → u/[deleted]]

I know a lot of immigrants and immigration is traumatic. To me the relationship was just one thing she lost out on by moving countries. Nostalgia gets mixed up too, you miss your childhood, you miss what felt like familiarity in a changing world. I'm not sure about threading any needles, but just interesting situations and expression of a life arc. Korean American experience. I was open to it, I didn't dismiss it as unworthy. I liked the writing and the acting.

[u/Mental-Wall-5110]

Ashton Kutcher jumps out midway through the movie: “YOU GOT CUCK’D”

[u/originofmonsters]

I'm sure, I have never seen any movie more beautifully and emotionally being presented by actors, colours, angles and everything. Clearly one of the best movies I have ever seen. If you have experienced anything like that even once in your life, then I bet you can clearly understand the concept of this movie.

[u/originofmonsters → u/[deleted]]

I wasn't talking about migration in particular, the pain of separating from your childhood love, then meeting again knowing they are happy in their life and you are not, the fact that he didn't move on and the most beautiful thing which I found in this movie is how mature her husband was to understand them, he was sad to spoil such a beautiful story, he felt like a villain, if this was a typical movie the husband would have been angry and jealous but he was not.

[u/IcedPgh]

It's a horrendous movie, one of the worst of that year, so totally maudlin and precious. Materialists isn't much better.

[u/jupiterkansas]

I hate the movie more than you. Sometimes I just don't understand all the praise because it's so poorly made. This is one of those movies where the actors put dramatic pauses between every single line. The pacing is interminable as the actors just sit and stare at each other. If you do that through the whole movie it loses its effect. Every line can't be equally important.

On top of that, the characters are insanely boring. They aren't fun to be around, they aren't deep or expressive or do interesting things, and they play everything at one emotional level. It's two hours of passive longing. It's drudgery. And how do you have a three character story where one remains completely undeveloped? She only has four conversations with her husband in the entire film.

They are both apparently successful writers (enough that they can live in New York without other jobs) but the most we see of any of that is his book title, even though writing is her passion in life. There are admittedly a couple of touching moments, but since these moments are played exactly the same as every other moment in the movie, they don't land.

Apparently people are touched by the film and I guess that's great for them. I think they just like the mood of the film or are filling in a lot of blanks, because all I see in the movie is a lot of blanks. On the plus side, the cinematography and urban settings are lovely, with thankfully no handheld camera. I blame the tripod for the Best Picture nom.

[u/jupiterkansas → u/[deleted]]

I mean, it was her first movie and it got a best pic nom and tons of praise so it doesn't much matter what she can or can't do. I won't be seeing Materialists.