Quote:
"The leap from stage to screen has been treacherous for so many talented playwrights [...]. But as writer, [Celine] Song manages to keep her dialogue believably light-footed and spare while as director, she confidently and evocatively captures both cities [Seoul and New York] with a breadth that belies her inexperience. It's a beautiful, transporting film but one made with both feet firmly on the ground. Romantic movies as unashamed about their themes as this one, too often treat love and fate as overly mystical and ultimately impractical, allowing smart characters to act in stupid ways, but despite Song's very title referring to a Korean notion of our past lives intertwining to draw us closer together in the present, she always remains clear-eyed about the reality of such thinking."
-- Benjamin Lee

Source:
Lee, Benjamin. "Past Lives review—delicately sad romantic drama is a real achievement." Review of Past Lives. Guardian, January 22, 2023.