--- title: "Past Lives: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/past-lives/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/past-lives" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Past Lives (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 22 reviews: 21 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. The reviews for Past Lives are close to unanimous. Twenty-one of twenty-two are positive, and the praise gathers around the same things: Celine Song’s control as a first-time director, a script that keeps its yearning below the surface and avoids histrionics, and the performances of Greta Lee and John Magaro, whose husband is singled out more than once for the grace with which he accepts a supporting part in someone else’s story. Critics return to the structure across three time periods and to how much the film says through faces and silences rather than confrontations; several find it wittier than its premise suggests. Comparisons to Wong Kar-wai and Brief Encounter recur. Reservations are scarce. A few note the slow, deliberate pace, though mostly as a virtue. The one clear dissent comes from Vulture, which finds the film tasteful but calculated, a lopsided love story that feels shrewd and artificial beneath its wistful surface. Nobody else agrees. ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 8 September 2023. Song's stylistically flawless debut nails a complex story of hidden yearnings and childhood selves, structured across three time periods with impeccably strong, awards-ready performances. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/past-lives-film-review-xnjb5d7kl) ## Time Out — Lou Thomas Rating 5/5. 23 February 2023. Festival review. The critic praises Song’s beautiful debut as a nuanced, careful work that is emotionally devastating and comparable to Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. They single out its graceful authenticity and the way it resonates with themes of love and loss. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/past-lives-2023) ## Empire — Nick de Semlyen Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2023. The critic calls it a transcendent debut and masterclass in slow, simmering storytelling that will stay with you. They single out its delicate, slow-burning style powered by subtly changing facial expressions and emotional conundrums of the heart. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/past-lives/) ## Total Film — Matt Maytum Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 August 2023. The critic hails it as an exquisitely judged wonder and a time-spanning romance that dismantles your heart. They single out the truthful, generous three-hander and intimate micro-gestures crackling with electricity. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/past-lives-review/) ## The Independent Rating 3.5/4. 1 June 2023. The critic calls the film a gorgeous, achingly wistful debut that makes understated choices to break hearts, delivering a universal yet richly detailed tale of choices, fate and co-existing versions of a life. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-arthur-uber-seoul-new-york-b2350017.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2023. The critic calls it a gorgeously heady and heartfelt love story that feels lingering and contemplative. It singles out the way the film invites viewers into the characters’ intimate spaces across time and continents. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-06-01/past-lives-review-a24-celine-song-greta-lee-teo-yoo) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2023. The critic describes it as a magical, unmissable story of lost love and a powerful metaphor for the two selves that exist within immigrants. They single out the languorous visual style and philosophical depth over granular realism. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/past-lives-review-magical-lost-love-2600065) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 22 January 2023. Festival review. The critic praises the understated Sundance stunner for its exceptional feature debut and the director’s way with words and deep wells of emotion. It notes the autobiographical yet universal quality in exploring untapped possibilities. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/past-lives-review-celine-song-1235498019/) ## Little White Lies — Rafa Sales Ross Rating 4/4/4. 6 September 2023. The critic finds the film a tender exploration of multiethnic romance and the complexities of diaspora that unravels as a marvel. They single out the nuanced performances by Greta Lee and John Magaro, along with the balance of wit and grief, for praise. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/past-lives) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 4/5. The critic describes it as a graceful, sensitive movie about unrequited passions and choices. They single out its sophisticated avoidance of histrionics, use of language barriers in a devastating scene, and beautiful performances and shooting. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-uz8mt9/past-lives/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2023. The critic describes the film as a calm but moving debut that meditates on transplantation and transience rather than being a conventional love story. It highlights the director’s cautious, superfine style and the rich questions it raises about identity and experience. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/06/12/past-lives-movie-review-squaring-the-circle) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2023. The critic finds the film tasteful and understated but ultimately calculated and unconvincing, describing it as a lopsided love story that feels shrewd and artificial beneath its wistful surface rather than transcendent. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/past-lives-review-tasteful-understated-and-unconvincing.html) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan 18 September 2023. Song’s autobiographical indie drama more than lives up to the Oscar hype as an original, wry and hauntingly tender story of a woman who can’t shake her first crush. It shares the lo-fi intensity of classics like Brief Encounter while complicating notions of romance through an earthy, flawed protagonist and universal themes. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/past-lives-movie-review-oscar-celine-song-south-korea-b1105445.html) ## Financial Times 7 September 2023. The review describes the film as an elegantly assured and wryly moving debut that investigates the rich back-story of its characters across decades and continents. It highlights the sensitive acting, especially by Greta Lee, and the director’s control of subtle, adult material. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/1fcd77be-19ab-406b-a50a-8dea55d6fba3) ## Screen Daily 22 January 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it an utterly assured feature debut, a wise and wistful film with superb performances, especially Greta Lee's radiant one. They single out its elegant, realistic treatment of fate, chance and love without fantastical elements. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/past-lives-sundance-review/5178363.article) ## Sight and Sound 1 March 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it an astonishing debut that luminously captures a world-spanning, decades-long love story with remarkable control and sensitivity. They single out the film's breadth of understanding, from performances to subtle symbolism and mood-perfect cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/past-lives-this-astonishing-debut-luminously-captures-world-spanning-decades-long-love-story) ## Slant Magazine — Pat Brown The critic describes the film as a quietly philosophical celebration of time’s passage that builds profundity from ordinariness and embraces irreversible change. They single out the deliberate imagery and visual rhymes that illustrate how past connections evolve without being negated. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/past-lives-review-celine-song/) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode 10 September 2023. The critic calls Celine Song’s debut a supremely confident spine-tingling gem about unresolved affection between childhood sweethearts separated by time and distance. They praise its blend of metaphysical themes with matter-of-fact storytelling and the subtle performances of the lead cast. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/sep/10/past-lives-celine-song-review-a-spine-tingling-romance-of-lost-chances-korea-canada-new-york-doomed-love) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 25 January 2023. Festival review. The critic hails Celine Song's assured debut as an exquisite original with multilayered beauty and emotional depth, structured as a triptych across decades and continents that probes love, fate, regret, and parallel lives without melodrama. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/past-lives-review-greta-lee-celine-song-1235310132/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 1 June 2023. The critic finds the film a wistful what-if story about childhood friends reconnecting across decades and continents. It praises the subtle performances and thoughtful exploration of friendship, love, regret, and living in the present. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/movies/past-lives-review.html) ## NME — Alex Flood Rating 5/5. 8 September 2023. The critic calls the film summer's best, praising its quiet power, subtle cleverness and emotional depth in wordless scenes and a witty script, while noting its humor and the moving finale. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/past-lives-review-a24-greta-lee-3495175) ## The Skinny — Ross McIndoe Rating ★★★★★. 4 September 2023. The review highlights the film's deep melancholy and hopefulness in depicting star-crossed friends and imperfect loves, commending the lived-in performances and thoughtful script without melodrama. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/past-lives-2023-review) ## Consequence Rating A. 2 June 2023. Past Lives is an unforgettable film about fate, love, and stories, with every detail perfectly defined. The critic singles out the precise direction, loving attention to small moments, and the perfect casting and chemistry of the small ensemble. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2023/06/past-lives-review-a24/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 9/10. 6 February 2023. Festival review. Celine Song’s debut is a heartbreakingly romantic and masterfully crafted film, one of the year’s best. The critic singles out the delicate handling of time, relationships, and the concept of inyeon, along with strong performances from the lead trio. [Read the review](https://collider.com/past-lives-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 9/10. 23 January 2023. Festival review. Celine Song's debut is a stunning, melancholy and contemplative drama about two people who keep missing their chance to be together. It excels in its dreamy pacing, rich sound design and real chemistry between the leads. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1175572/past-lives-review-celine-songs-achingly-beautiful-contemplative-drama-is-a-must-see-sundance/) ## The Playlist — Alani Vargas Rating A-. 22 January 2023. Festival review. Celine Song delivers a bittersweet and stunning romance in her debut, exploring fate and past connections through the concept of in-yun. The critic praises the subtle performances and the meaningful roles people play in each other's lives, even without romantic union. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/past-lives-review-sundance-20230122/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2023. Festival review. The review describes the film as an exquisitely wistful drama that explores themes of identity, migration, love, and fate with honesty and precision. It singles out the lead performance and the director's wise, emotionally resonant storytelling for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/past-lives-review-greta-lee-john-magaro-teo-yoo/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2023. Festival review. The review praises Celine Song's debut as an elegant and mesmerizing character piece about love in the modern age. It highlights the film's thoughtful handling of a woman's self-discovery amid rekindled connections from the past, avoiding melodramatic tropes. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/01/sundance-film-festival-review-celine-song-past-lives-1235236093/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 February 2024. The critic highlights the film's delicate grace and achingly beautiful triumph in exploring bittersweet romance and life choices, focusing on John Magaro's empathetic performance as the husband Arthur who recognizes his supporting role in the story. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/past-lives-john-magaro-arthur-saint/) ## HeyUGuys — Liam Macleod Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2023. Festival review. The film is a small but sweet story of big emotions centered on a brief reunion between childhood sweethearts. It grounds its dialogue in the Korean concept of Inyun while highlighting the significance of ordinary moments and unfulfilled connections. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/past-lives-review/) ## Paste — Jacob Oller Rating 8.8. 2 June 2023. Past Lives is a brilliantly bittersweet and impossibly romantic debut that reaches a heartrending acceptance of our inability to have it all. The critic praises Song’s precise writing, delicate scene-crafting, and exploration of love, time, decisions, and connections. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/celine-song/past-lives-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/past-lives.md