? Does the heart always get what it wants? Oscar-nominated film Past Lives is a dreamlike experience that takes viewers on a journey through time as they observe the lives of two people once brought together by love before being pulled apart by life. The film, directed by Canadian filmmaker Celine Song, is her debut feature, and has received wide acclaim.

The plot: Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) are childhood friends in South Korea who find themselves in love. Fate, however, has other plans as Nora moves to the US with her family, and they find themselves separated. Years later, after feeble attempts to stay in touch, Nora is now a freelance writer living in New York with her fellow writer husband Arthur (John Magaro). Meanwhile, Hae Sung — now an engineer — has never forgotten his first love. After years of absence, he visits New York, where he reunites with Nora.

Longing for a life that never was: In a tender story about the tragedy of lost love defeated by time and circumstance, we get to know the three main characters, sympathise with each, understand their motives, and even find ourselves in them at times. The story explores the concept of fate, or the philosophy of In-Yun, as Nora explains in one scene. The term refers to the bond between two people linked by destiny. Fate is what drives Nora and Hae Sung apart, and is what brings them back together.

It’s not black or white. Song’s passion toward her story and her characters is shown best through Arthur, Nora’s husband, who fears being left behind in favor of an unfulfilled past love. While it’s easy to turn a character like Arthur into a villain and an obstacle, Magaro’s portrayal and Song’s writing make viewers understand Arthur and sympathize with him. The writing proves masterful, neither demonizing nor idealizing anyone. While viewers may hope for a happy ending for the childhood lovers, they’re also aware that such an ending would be cruel to Arthur, who has done nothing but love his wife sincerely.

It’s a film for the dreamers among us. Past Lives is a gentle, romantic cinematic experience that takes its characters seriously. It conveys a difficult truth to the audience: not all our hearts’ desires can come true. The film is a beautiful work that we have found ourselves returning to again and again, cementing itself as worthy of being an icon of contemporary cinema.

WHERE TO WATCH: You can stream Past Lives on OSN+. Catch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:24).

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