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Past Lives: The Screenplay

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After a two-decade separation following her emigration, Nora reunites with childhood friend Hae Sung. In a transformative week, they explore enduring bonds and the interplay of love and fate.

86 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2024

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Celine Song

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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for marri౨ৎ‧₊˚..
184 reviews96 followers
August 4, 2024
Wow, what an emotional punch i got from this screenplay. I'm already sleep deprived and mentally tired and this made my heart ache for free.

But wow. This movie was already great but reading the dialogue for a second time really makes me think even better of it.

"Maybe you and I were somebody to each other in another lifetime"

This is a story of two close friends, Nora and Hae sung, each others first loves, who are separated when young. After reconnecting with each other past 20 years, they learn finally to confront their past, love and choices.

On a first glance it might be simple and quite "undeveloped" for a movie, but i believe it's way more complex than what it seems. This was a story about life. About letting go of the past, about accepting the present. Is also about love and human connections. But mostly about uncertainty of life. Of what ifs. What if they stayed together? What if she hadn't met her husband? It's these type of questions that deeply terrifies us and in which we need to learn to accept and move on. There's this scene where Nora's husband is asking her of what if they didn't met would they have ended up together or would she be with her childhood friend, and Nora just replies with "That's not how life works. This is my life now and i'm living with you" , and that just made completely sense. We fall in love with the most unexpected people, and it's frightening to consider all the loves we ll never know, but things happen for a reason and that's just how it is.

"This is where i ended up. This is where i'm supposed to be"

If i had to show u more of my highlights it would be basically all the dialogue in this screenplay, because it's just so good.

"it's just that you make life so much bigger, and I'm wondering if I do the same thing for you" (still obsessed with this scene not gonna lie)

The only thing it lacks is being rather short, i would appreciate so much if it showed more of their past scenes. But, what a fantastic screenplay.

ps: still crying for "you dream in a language that i can't understand. There's this whole place inside of you where i can't go"

Pre review:
ever since i watched this movie I kept thinking about the screenplay and how perfect this would look in a book novel form🥹❤️ Nonetheless, Now I have found the screenplay on the internet and I'm so excited to read it.
Profile Image for The Cozy Nook.
211 reviews34 followers
April 15, 2024
It's so hard to form the right words for how I am feeling after reading the whole screenplay in one seating.

It's a different experience than watching and rewatching the film, although that painful tug in your heart doesn't really go away.

I love that there were some new moments for me that I discovered after reading — Arthur saying something in korean in the earlier part of the film, Haesung saying it later, the script saying "It fits better", the emotions and inner thoughts of Nora and Hae Sung underneath it all — "fuck, he's here to see me." "fuck, i'm here to see her.", a quiet realization as simple as "These are the first moments of her day, and the last moments of his."

...and even of course, the most heartbreaking one for me — "It's as though these kids have been waiting here in this exact spot for 24 years, and it's only now that they've been able to truly say goodbye." 💔

There's so much I could say about this film, because so much is said in 105 minutes and 85 pages — the immigrant experience, that childhood friendship and almost first love you carry for 24 years, the younger version of you that you'd eventually leave, the adult version of you that you'll eventually meet, how time is short and long, at times not even enough, the what if's and regrets, the acceptance and moving on, the feeling of not being enough and longing for more. (blink, and you miss it)

Fuck, my heart hurts.
Profile Image for Louise.
2 reviews4 followers
April 7, 2025
somehow more tragic than the actual film???
Profile Image for Ross Bonaime.
302 reviews18 followers
April 21, 2024
One of my favorite books of last year is, of course, one of my favorite screenplays from 2023 as well.

What I adore about Celine Song's story is that while on the surface, this seems like it's somewhat of a love triangle, but in fact, it's simply three people stuck in an odd situation where they're asked to question "what if" about their own lives and relationships. Nora has found love with her husband Arthur, but she still wonders what would have happened if she had stayed in South Korea or kept in touch with her first crush, Hae Sung. Meanwhile, Hae Sung—who is still single—isn't trying to steal Nora from her happy life when he visits her in New York, but he's also seeking closure, it just doesn't seem like he knows that's what he's doing. Finally, Arthur knows his wife loves him, but he can't help but know that if this was a story about their relationship, he would be the villain. Past Lives isn't about questioning who will end up with who at the end, but rather, the curiosity of what happens when three people question the what if of their own lives.

All of this is on the page in Lee's screenplay, and she keeps it light in her writing. We've all had to deal with these types of scenarios in life, and Lee handles all three perspectives with such grace and care for these characters. This is a story where we like everyone, and yet, we know not all of these three characters are going to get what they want in the end. But life isn't necessarily about what we want, it's often about what we need, regardless of whether or not we know what that is.

I also think the best screenplays get at the heart of what the film is going to convey, but then it really finds another layer through the casting, and that's certainly true here. The heart is in this screenplay, but seeing how these performances bring this to life only makes it richer and lived in.

I love Past Lives so much, and I can't wait to see ven more films from Song. If they all have the emotional depth and power that her first film does, she's on her way to becoming a magnificent filmmaker.
17 reviews
June 26, 2025
Reading the screenplay was an utter treat, as I could still picture the actors and even hear the line delivery, but being exposed to the dialogue and scene settings as words on a page crafted a unique kind of intimate connection with those elements I've no doubt will augment my next viewing of 2023's best film.

The supplemental opinion pieces in the limited edition A24 script books are excellent, bearing layers and layers of insight into both the cinematic and thematic nature of the film that you'd likely find in only best critical/literary circles, and the book as a whole ends with a sincere, introspective interview with director Celine Song herself. Hearing straight from the auteur's heart in such a direct manner felt like an added gift on top of everything else the script book has on offer.

The crafting of art belongs to the artist alone, but we are the blessed recipients and mirror against which it is reflected in the experiencing of it. This rings deeply true with something as magnificent as PAST LIVES.
Profile Image for Realini Ionescu.
4,049 reviews20 followers
August 10, 2025
Past Lives written and directed by Celine Song, it was the 2024 Nominee for The Oscars for Best Motion Picture of the Year and for Best Original Screenplay, in addition, it was an astonishing Metascore of 94, which means that on average, critics have found this movie to be nearly perfect, as for the under signed…well, let us try and figure it out, perhaps by the time I finish this note I will have my verdict, indeed, it is not going to be a 94 out of 100, albeit I have been impressed by some aspects – if you wish to find more of my reviews, they are here https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...





Past Lives is a ‘romance’ and a very good at that, as mentioned above, it was seen as one of the best motion pictures of 2024, that is in the very near past – can we say that about the past, or is it just the near future?

I am thinking about Thomas Mann https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and the skepticism expressed in one of his works, on the subject of love, friendship
This character is appalled at how often people speak about their feelings ‘their love is beyond words, there are no words to depict it…’ when this is so much nonsense, test those statements and we find them false

‘After a two-decade separation following her emigration, Nora reunites with childhood friend Hae Sung. In a transformative week, they explore enduring bonds and the interplay of love and fate…’ this is one take on Past Lives

- Only is it love?

It is such a complicated issue that the answer may be missing, actually, one of the things that makes this film worthwhile (such a big hit in fact) is that it makes the public wonder, ask questions, what must be done here?

- What about their culture?

There are major differences between the Eastern and Western values, in the Far East, China, Japan, Korea (not the commie one though, they have a freak with a love story of his own there, connecting him with Orange Woland, leader of the US) they put community above, while the Western culture is more individualistic
So, a simple, surely simplistic view of what happens here is that Nora and Hae Sung have to surrender to tradition, think of the others, and ‘forget about it’ neglect their own feelings, or worse, make the effort to suppress them

Donnie Brasco https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... explains in the movie of the same name what ‘forget about it’ means in the world of the ‘made men’
The other two things that were on my mind, in connection (or without any liaison) with this film where my own ‘big love story’, when I fell in love (or in Thomas Mann dictionary maybe not) with Miss Romania, some decades ago

Again, I have some of that story on the blog, the links are above and a few lines from here, the second thing happened today actually, I went to see this lady, and we got intimate (oops, spoiler alert, only who reads this far?) in exchange for cash, so ‘physical love’, or the pretense, and she was from…Latvia, unbelievable, I mean, come all the way here, she did say she had been to Holland, and will depart, but still, what a surprise…

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – I am on Goodreads as Realini Ionescu, at least for the moment, if I keep on expressing my views on Orange Woland aka TACO, it may be a short-lived presence
Also, maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the benefits from it, other than the exercise per se

There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
Profile Image for Emily.
2 reviews
August 28, 2024
beautiful film and screenplay. one of my favourite stories I've seen/read this year. so poignant in the depiction of moving and in portraying characters who are incredibly nuanced and complex. such a Celine Song fan!
Profile Image for Noah.
55 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2024
Wonderful story about what could have been and what is, the immigrant experience, and the two sides of a coin - when we lose something we gain something too.

The tone of the movie - tender in its longing, comedy, and question asking - is set effectively in the action lines of this screenplay - “It breaks Nora’s heart to say these words, and it breaks Hae Sung’s heart to hear them.” (pg. 32).

This script embodies how time moves differently for the longing heart. Some scene transitions are three, four, or five to a page, with one action line per scene. It creates an emotional viscosity as we watch Nora and Hae Sung reconnect early in the film - “Nora and Hae Sun stare at each other across the Pacific Ocean” (pg. 32) - and later as Hae Sung visits New York and waits to see Nora. The script can make you feel those long hours of desire by the way it describes the environmental pieces of the story - “New York welcomes Hae Sung with its wettest and saddest self” (pg. 45).

As for Nora’s immigrant experience, the disarming humor helps direct conversations feel natural, and balances the investigation of that identity between action lines and dialogue - “He’s so Korean…I just feel really not Korean with him. But also, in some way, more Korean? It’s so weird” (pg. 57). The tension between the two men in Nora’s life in romance is the same tension in her Asian American identity. All the “What If’s” of romance are also the “What If’s” of immigration - “Is this how you thought it would turn out? Laying in a bed in a tiny apartment in the East Village with some Jewish guy who writes books?

You’re asking me if you, Arthur Zaturansky, are the answer to my family’s immigrant dream?....This is where I ended up. This is where I’m supposed to be.” (pg. 62).

In addition, symmetry is all over the script, pulling you into Nora and Hae Sun’s tenderly awkward tension. The exact same line will be used to describe Nora or Hae Sung's experience, pages apart from each other, in different scenes - “Somehow [Hae Sung’s] face is exactly as she remembers it, even though he is now a grown man.” (pg. 14); “Somehow [Nora’s] face is exactly as he remembers it, even though she is now a grown woman.” (pg. 17).

One beauty of this script is, in the tension between descriptions and actions of the characters, the potency of its themes are infused into each moment. In lesser hands, more eager to please, the "I have to know" questions could become cringe worthy declarations of unrequited love. But Celine Song spends so much intentional effort weaving the story together, that once Nora, Arthur, and Hae Sung sit together in that bar, it offers the cartharsis we've been waiting for. “[Hae Sung] pours out everything that’s been on his mind and floods the space between them.

What if…What if…What if….” (pg. 76).

The human experience of asking “What if” is universal - whether about the person we end up with, the career we choose, the place we live, or thousands of lives we could have. This script captures the emotion of all those questions with depth, nuance, and finesse.
Profile Image for untitled no. 9-1.
60 reviews
June 7, 2024
Held my tears in the whole time, only for them to burst out at It's
as
though
these
kids
have
been
waiting
here
in
this exact
spot
for
24
years,
and
it's
only
now
that
they've
been able
to
truly
say goodbye.
Profile Image for matt.
42 reviews5 followers
April 22, 2024
𝙷𝙰𝙴 𝚂𝚄𝙽𝙶
/𝚆𝚑𝚢 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝?

𝙽𝙾𝚁𝙰

/𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎. 𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝. 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎.
Profile Image for Molls.
96 reviews
September 5, 2024
Reading the screenplay is a completely different experience than watching the film, and i am still crying, cried harder even. So well written.
Profile Image for Vezhola.
46 reviews
October 3, 2024
me encanta, esta peli es buenísima y el guión es fantástico. mi parte favorita es la de los sueños en coreano🥺
Profile Image for Jack Stewart.
58 reviews3 followers
November 4, 2024
i apparently thought that this wouldn’t wreck me as much as the film … wrong
Profile Image for Mary.
218 reviews
January 19, 2025
I am obsessed with the movie so had to read the screenplay and was not disappointed. The screenplay brought back all the same emotions from watching the movie. The screenplay also had some extra details that I missed from the movie so those pieces were a happy surprise. Did not cry at the end like the movie tho.
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