Among all the Oscar nominees for Best Picture – Barbie, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, American Fiction, Zone of Interest, Maestro, and The Holdovers – the indie film Past Lives, directed by Celine Song, shines.

Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) are two childhood friends who formed an extremely close relationship until Nora’s family emigrated to Canada. In adulthood, Nora moves to New York City, where she becomes a writer and gets married to
her husband Arthur (Joe Magaro). However, when Nora and Hae Sung reconnect, they are forced to confront the paths they chose and the love they had for each other.

What makes Past Lives stand out from all the other Best Picture nominees is the tone the film carries throughout using cinematography. Normally, American movies are edited to be fast-paced, cutting any second that isn’t useful to the plot. However, that is not reflective of reality, which is why Song cleverly utilizes long, drawn-out shots, forcing you to sit with the characters and their feelings, giving the film a somber, realistic tone.

This melancholy tone is furthered by the characters and their relationships. Song brilliantly manages to create a love triangle between Nora, Arthur, and Hae Sung without villainizing any of them. Even though Hae Sung threatens Nora’s husband Arthur by reconnecting with her, the movie develops such depth within each character that you come to understand their motives and situations.

While Past Lives masters several essential filmmaking aspects, the movie’s main strength is the message it carries, one that is easy to connect with. Having someone we used to know, a person we used to laugh and cry with, yet one way or another they became absent from our lives, is a common universal experience. This causes us to contemplate the “what ifs”. What if we stayed in touch? What if we stayed close? What if we were still close today?

But Song reminds us that we must embrace all the choices we make and live without regrets.

Past Lives is an important film as it discusses the paths we take in life and how the best story is not always the best life. It not only deserves five stars but also the Oscar for Best Picture.