Movie: Past Lives
Running Times: 1:46
Nominated for: Best Picture, Original Screenplay
How I watched: Prime
When it had me: Immediately
When it lost me: It didn't
What systems does it challenge: Romance Movies
Past Lives is so masterful at nailing small moments and big authenticity. It is an exceedingly intimate movie that manages to keep you so in the moment with each of its characters that you feel a part of every emotional epiphany and each fraught choice. Some movies may be more cinematic, sprawling, audacious but there's so many ways to get lost in those big movies; I don't know where to look on screen, I've lost the narrative or I don't know what the point is.
What was special about this movie was Celine Song's ability to keep me completely "in it" in every moment. I never felt lost or confused and conversely, I never felt badgered or babied. Also, I mentioned authenticity. The movie feels so pitch perfect; nothing is forced, contrived, overstated or overacted. It really is a gem.
So it's labeled a romance and I get that but for me it's a lot more about questions of evolving desires, evolving personas, and what it feels like when your dreams can be realized and when they cannot. I'd say this one should be looked at for editing as well as direction and acting but I'm sure it's not flashy enough for that.
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