| Past Lives | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Celine Song |
| Written by | Celine Song |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shabier Kirchner |
| Edited by | Keith Fraase |
| Music by | |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes[2] |
| Countries | |
| Languages |
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| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $42.7 million |
Past Lives is a 2023romanticdrama film written and directed byCeline Song in herfeature directorial debut. StarringGreta Lee,Teo Yoo, andJohn Magaro, it follows two childhood friends over the course of 24 years while they contemplate the nature of their relationship as they grow apart, living different lives. The plot issemi-autobiographical and inspired by real events from Song's life.[5]
Past Lives premiered at theSundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023, and was released byA24 in the United States on June 2 and byCJ ENM in South Korea on alimited release on February 26, 2024, and awide release on March 6. The film received critical acclaim and grossed $42.7 million worldwide.
It was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by theNational Board of Review and theAmerican Film Institute, receiving multiple accolades, with five nominations at the81st Golden Globe Awards including forBest Motion Picture - Drama and nominations at the96th Academy Awards forBest Picture andBest Original Screenplay. Since its release, it has been included in lists of the best films of the 2020s and the 21st century.[6][7][8]
The story takes place over 24 years, beginning in the present year of 2023 and then flashing back to 1999 onward.
An unseen, unnamed couple observe Nora, Arthur, and Hae Sung at a New York City speakeasy and openly speculate on the trio's relationship dynamic.
InSeoul,South Korea, Na Young and Hae Sung are 12-year-old classmates who develop feelings for each other and go on a playdate set up by their parents. Shortly thereafter, Na Young's family immigrates toCanada and the two lose contact. Na Young changes her name to Nora.
Hae Sung has finished hismilitary service and Nora has moved toNew York City. While calling her mother, Nora discovers onFacebook that Hae Sung had posted that he was looking for Na Young, unaware of her name change. They reconnect through video calls but are unable to visit each other, as Nora is about to attend a writer's retreat inMontauk and Hae Sung is moving to China for a Mandarin language exchange. Eventually, Nora tells Hae Sung they should stop talking for a while, as she wants to focus on her writing and life in New York.
At her retreat, Nora meets Arthur Zaturansky and they fall in love, at one point discussing theBuddhist-derived concept ofinyeon (인연,dependent origination), how a relationship between two souls in the present life is influenced by interactions in thousands of past lives. Hae Sung also meets a woman, whom he begins to date.
Arthur and Nora are married and living in New York. Hae Sung, no longer with his girlfriend, travels to visit Nora. Arthur wonders if he is a roadblock in their love story, suggesting to Nora that, if another man with similar appeal had met her at the same time, Nora would have married him to secure agreen card for U.S. residency. He also expresses anxiety about cultural barriers in their relationship, highlighting Nora's habit of sleep-talking in Korean: "you dream in a language that I can't understand." Nora reassures Arthur that she loves him.
The next night, the three go out to a speakeasy. Initially, Nora translates between the two men, but eventually speaks with Hae Sung exclusively in Korean. He wonders what they were to each other in their past lives, and what would have happened if she had never left Korea and they had continued their relationship. When Nora goes to the bathroom, Hae Sung apologizes to Arthur for speaking alone with Nora, but Arthur says he is glad to have met him.
They return to Arthur and Nora's apartment. Hae Sung invites them to visit him in Korea and calls anUber. Nora waits with him, and the two exchange long looks at each other until the car arrives. Hae Sung says that perhaps they are, at that moment, experiencing a past life, and asks Nora what their relationship will be in their next life. She says she does not know. Hae Sung says, "I'll see you then." He leaves in the car and she walks back to her apartment, crying into Arthur's arms.
In January 2020, it was announcedChoi Woo-shik would star in the film, withCeline Song set to direct from a screenplay she wrote, andA24 set to produce and distribute alongsideKiller Films andCJ ENM.[9] In August 2021, it was announced thatGreta Lee,Teo Yoo, andJohn Magaro joined the cast of the film, with Yoo replacing Choi.[10]
CinematographerShabier Kirchner shotPast Lives on35 mm film.[11] Production took place during July and August 2021 at locations around New York, including the city's ferries, and under and along theManhattan Bridge. The apartment sets for Hae Sung's and Nora's Skype conversations were built next to each other at Greenpoint Studios, Brooklyn, and filmed simultaneously. The production then moved to Seoul and filmed from late October to early November.[12]

The film had its world premiere at theSundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023.[13] It also screened at the73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 19, 2023.[14] Later that month,StudioCanal andCJ ENM were among the distributors acquiring the international distribution rights.[15] It was the opening film for the 2023Seattle International Film Festival.[16]Past Lives had alimited theatrical release in the United States on June 2, 2023,[17] before expanding to more theaters on June 9; it was released nationwide on June 23.[18]
It was screened at the28th Busan International Film Festival as part of "Korean American Special Exhibition: Korean Diaspora" on 5 October 2023.[19]
Past Lives grossed $11.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $31.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $42.7 million.[20]
The film grossed $232,266 from four theaters in its opening weekend, an average of $55,066 per venue.[21] By its sixth weekend, the film had a running total of $8.4 million.[22]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 95% of 319 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A remarkable debut for writer-director Celine Song,Past Lives uses the bonds between its sensitively sketched central characters to support trenchant observations on the human condition."[23]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 94 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[24]
Manola Darghis, inThe New York Times, compared the film to French romantic cinema, complimenting its restraint in the presentation of its main themes, and writing: "The movie's modesty—its intimacy, human scale, humble locations and lack of visual oomph—is one of its strengths. The characters live in homes that are pleasant yet ordinary, the kind that you can imagine hanging out in, the kind you want to hang out in. There are few big, look-at-me details, though you might notice a poster forJacques Rivette’s 1974 classicCéline and Julie Go Boating in Nora’s father’s home office in Seoul."[25] InThe Guardian,Peter Bradshaw praised the film highly, comparing it to those ofRichard Linklater,Noah Baumbach, andGreta Gerwig. He wrote: "Past Lives is a glorious date movie, and a movie for every occasion, too. As ever with films like this, there is an auxiliary pleasure in wondering how much of her own past life Song has used. It's a must-see."[26]
FilmmakerDaniel Scheinert, who co-directed A24'sEverything Everywhere All at Once with Daniel Kwan, praised the film, saying: "It's remarkable, the way [Celine Song] pushed past the story of 'picking mister right' and the story of 'fighting to win the girl' and somehow brought her audience to this painfully relatable heartbreak on the other side of those stories. I'm inspired by it. And mystified by how the filmmaking team did it. But when I was lucky enough to see a Q&A and have some brunch with Celine, I saw how curious and thoughtful and passionate and charmingly bossy she was, and I was instantly convinced that this movie was no accident. It's a smart, confident, unique poem because Celine is a smart, confident, unique poet."[27] FilmmakerChristopher Nolan also praised the film and named it one of his favorites, calling it "subtle in a beautiful sort of way".[28] Other filmmakers, such asAllison Anders,Reinaldo Marcus Green,Andrew Haigh,Rich Peppiatt, andZoe Lister-Jones cited it as among their favorite films of 2023.[29][30]
Collider ranked it 7th on its list of the "20 Best Drama Movies of the 2020s So Far", calling it "a story that could only exist because of modern circumstances, but feels timeless in its approach. How does someone choose between two lovers, one that represents the most fruitful days of her youth, and the other someone she has grown to love as part of her reality? Celine Song examines these critical conversations through the perspective of an immigrant story."[31] In 2024,IndieWire included it on its list of the "Best American Independent Movies of the 21st Century" and in 2025 ranked it 40th on its list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)."[7][32]Looper also named it the "BestPG-13 Movie of All Time," calling it "a master class in the art of subtlety while evoking complex human emotions. The minimalist love story is like no other in how it expertly captures the slow-burn nature of fate. It's a bittersweet experience that'll leave you aching for all of life's 'what-ifs.'"[33] In May 2025,ScreenCrush ranked the film 10th on its list of "The 20 Best Movies of the Last 20 Years", with Matt Singer writing, "The resolution of this low-key love triangle is absolutely devastating, and will have you reflecting on the moments and choices that shaped your own life, even if their importance only became clear in hindsight."[8] In June 2025,The New York Times ranked the film 86th on its list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century", writing that the film "is filled with exquisite reflections on time, love, fate and reinvention."[6] It also ranked number 47 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.[34] In July 2025, it ranked number 55 onRolling Stone's list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century."[35]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | March 10, 2024 | Best Picture | David Hinojosa,Christine Vachon andPamela Koffler | Nominated | [36] |
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| African-American Film Critics Association | January 15, 2024 | Top 10 Films of the Year | Past Lives | 5th Place | [37] |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Film | Nominated | [38] | |
| Best Non-English-Language Film | Nominated | ||||
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Woman's Breakthrough Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay, Original | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Woman Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best Woman Screenwriter | Won | ||||
| American Cinema Editors | March 3, 2024 | Best Edited Feature Film (Drama, Theatrical) | Keith Fraase | Nominated | [39] |
| American Film Institute Awards | December 7, 2023 | Top 10 Films of the Year | Past Lives | Won[a] | [40] |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | November 3, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Won | [41] |
| Artios Awards | March 7, 2024 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Feature Studio or Independent (Drama) | Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne Scheel | Won | [42] |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | [43] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best First Feature | Won | ||||
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 10, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [44] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Best First Film | Won | ||||
| The Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award | Nominated | ||||
| Berlin International Film Festival | February 25, 2023 | Golden Bear | Nominated | [45] | |
| Black Film Critics Circle | December 20, 2023 | Top Ten Films | Past Lives | 6th Place | [46] |
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best New Filmmaker | Won | [47] | |
| British Academy Film Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Actor | Teo Yoo | Nominated | [48] |
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Not in the English Language | Celine Song, David Hinojosa,Pamela Koffler andChristine Vachon | Nominated | |||
| British Independent Film Awards | December 3, 2023 | Best International Independent Film | Celine Song, David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler | Nominated | [49] |
| Celebration of Cinema & Television | December 4, 2023 | Actress Award (Film) | Greta Lee | Won | [50] |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 12, 2023 | Best Actor | Teo Yoo | Nominated | [51] |
| Most Promising Performer | Nominated | ||||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Milos Stehlik Award for Breakthrough Filmmaker | Won | ||||
| Cinema Eye Honors | January 12, 2024 | Heterodox Award | Past Lives | Nominated | [52] |
| Cinema for Peace Awards | February 18–19, 2024 | Cinema for Peace Dove for The Most Valuable Film of the Year 2024 | Nominated | [53][54] | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 14, 2024 | Best Picture | Nominated | [55] | |
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Top 10 Films of the Year | Past Lives | 6th Place | [56] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | 5th Place | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | 4th Place | |||
| Deauville American Film Festival | September 9, 2023 | Grand Special Prize | Past Lives | Nominated | [57] |
| Denver Film Critics Society | January 12, 2024 | Best Film | Nominated | [58] | |
| Best Lead Performance by an Actor, Female | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Non-English Language Feature | Past Lives | Nominated | |||
| Directors Guild of America Awards | February 10, 2024 | Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film | Celine Song | Won | [59] |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards | December 19, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Won | [60] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Film Fest Ghent | October 21, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [61] |
| Special Mention | Greta Lee, Yoo Teo and John Magaro | Won | [62] | ||
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 21, 2023 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | [63][64] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Best First Film | Won | ||||
| Breakout Award | Runner-up | ||||
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | January 5, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Runner-up | [65] [66] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Runner-up | |||
| Best Original Song | Sharon Van Etten and Zach Dawes ("Quiet Eyes") | Nominated | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Past Lives | Nominated | [67] |
| Best Picture – Non-English Language | Nominated | ||||
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Golden Trailer Awards | June 29, 2023 | Best Romance | "Fate" (Mark Wollen & Associates) | Won | [68] |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2023 | Best Feature | Past Lives | Won | [69] |
| Breakthrough Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Lead Performance | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Runner-up | [70] |
| Best Indie | Won | ||||
| Best Director | Celine Song | Runner-up | |||
| Best Actor | Teo Yoo | Runner-up | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | John Magaro | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 15, 2023 | Best Original Song — Independent Film | Sharon Van Etten andZach Dawes ("Quiet Eyes") | Nominated | [71] [72] |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 22, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | [73] [74] |
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Film | David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon | Won | [75] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Best Lead Performance | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Teo Yoo | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [76] [77] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Lead Performance | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Breakout of the Year | Won | ||||
| Best Foreign Language Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |||
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Film | 4th Place | [78] | |
| Best Director | Celine Song | 7th Place | |||
| Best Performance | Greta Lee | 9th Place[b] | |||
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | 2nd Place | |||
| Best First Feature | Past Lives | Won | |||
| Jerusalem Film Festival | July 23, 2023 | Best International Debut | Nominated | [79] | |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | December 13, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | [80] |
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Breakout Filmmaker | Won | ||||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 10, 2023 | New Generation Award | Celine Song | Won | [81] |
| Manaki Brothers Film Festival | September 29, 2023 | Golden Camera 300 | Shabier Kirchner | Nominated | [82] |
| Middleburg Film Festival | October 22, 2023 | MFF Breakthrough Filmmaker Award | Celine Song | Won | [83] |
| Minnesota Film Critics Alliance | February 4, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | [84] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Runner-up[c] | |||
| Miskolc International Film Festival | September 9, 2023 | Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [85] |
| National Board of Review | December 6, 2023 | Top Ten Films | Won[a] | [86] | |
| Best Directorial Debut | Celine Song | Won | |||
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Won | [87] |
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Runner-up[d] | |||
| New York Film Critics Online Awards | December 15, 2023 | Top 10 Films | Past Lives | Won[a] | [88] |
| Best Debut Director | Celine Song | Won | |||
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | November 30, 2023 | Best First Film | Past Lives | Won | [89] |
| North Texas Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | [90] |
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society | December 18, 2023 | Top Ten Films of 2023 | Past Lives | Won[a] | [91] |
| Oklahoma Film Critics Circle | January 3, 2024 | Top 10 Films | 5th Place | [92] | |
| Best First Feature | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | February 25, 2024 | Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures | Past Lives | Nominated | [93] |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 19, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | [94] |
| Best First Feature | Runner-up | ||||
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 9, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [95] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Motion Picture, Drama | Past Lives | Nominated | [96] |
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay, Original | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | February 10, 2024 | Virtuoso Award | Greta Lee | Won | [97] |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Picture of the Year | Past Lives | Won | [98] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Leading Role | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Editing | Keith Frasse | Nominated | |||
| Southeastern Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Top 10 Films | Past Lives | 6th Place | [99] |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [100] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Sydney Film Festival | June 18, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [101] |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Runner-up[e] | [102] |
| Best First Feature | Past Lives | Runner-up[f] | |||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [103] |
| Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards | December 18, 2023 | Best Movie by a Woman | Past Lives | Won | [104] |
| Best Woman Storyteller | Celine Song | Won | |||
| Best Screen Couple | Greta Lee and John Magaro | Runner-up | |||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | April 14, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | [105] |