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Past Lives

Past Lives

A heartrending modern romance that confronts notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.

2023105 minPG-13Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Director
Celine Song
Starring
Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah

After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Past Lives?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Past Lives to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Past Lives?

Past Lives earns 10 badges, led by Top 5% of films and Universally Loved.

Show 2 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is Past Lives worth watching?

Past Lives' Midcredits score is the 98th percentile of all films, from 2.1M ratings across 6 sources. 86% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

98th percentile

Better received than 98% of films

98th percentile among Drama97th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)97th
Approval (how many liked it)96th

81 /100

97th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Drama96th percentile among 2020s

Critics 94 · Audience 80

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

86% liked it

96th percentile of all films

96th percentile among Drama95th percentile among 2020s
86% rated it 7–1014% rated it 1–6

Critics 95% · Audience 93%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 28 wins / 65 noms overall

  • NominatedGolden Globes· Best Director - Motion Picture
  • NominatedGolden Globes· Best Motion Picture - Drama

99th percentile

2.1M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$12M
Opening weekend$232K
Domestic gross$11M
Worldwide gross$43M

Returned 3.6× its budget — 94th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is a poignant, deliberately paced meditation on lost love and the passage of time, though they differ on whether that execution is emotionally resonant or merely flat and unsatisfying.

Fans praised

  • understated emotional power and quiet devastation
  • meticulous direction and deliberate pacing
  • authentic, naturalistic performances and chemistry

Detractors panned

  • contrived and overly sentimental
  • underdeveloped characters and slow, tedious pacing
  • notable lack of a clear, satisfying ending

What stands out

Emotional impactDivisive85

fans report being moved to tears and left with a heavy heart; detractors feel emotionally manipulated or detached

AtmosphereDivisive85

immersion through stillness and quiet moments, effective in creating a 'vibey' and melancholic tone

CinematographyDivisive85

praised for beautiful, meticulous shot composition and visual storytelling

ActingDivisive80

praise for Greta Lee's pitch-perfect lead performance; mixed camp finds characters underdeveloped despite casting

DialogueDivisive75

praised for naturalism and the weight of unspoken words, but detractors find the overuse of silence infuriating

PacingDivisive70

fans call it dreamy and deliberate, detractors find it methodically slow and overlong

CharactersDivisive65

fans find them real and emotionally complex, detractors call them thinly sketched and hard to understand

Plot and storyDivisive60

structure noted as a series of vignettes, with fans valuing the slice-of-life approach, detractors dismissing it as meandering

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 4 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 2 points apart
  • Critics vs users 3 points apart
  • US vs non-US even

Watch experience

What is Past Lives like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Quiet and reflective: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are in a patient, quiet mood.

It is gentle, takes its time and leaves you bittersweet. Skip it when you want things to move fast or you want every question answered.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Patience and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Quiet and reflective.

Moods
MelancholicContemplativeBittersweet
Heaviest: late
Register
Tender · 13% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.
ToneThe film holds its material with a deeply sincere, restrained tenderness, never winking or overplaying the emotion.
The rideA quiet, reflective mood throughout, with the emotional weight settling most heavily as Nora and Hae Sung confront their unfinished chapter.
StructureA mostly linear story with framing flashbacks to childhood in Korea and intermittent time jumps across years of video calls.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

BittersweetWistful · 8% of films
Why it leaves you this wayA quiet ache lingers—the beauty of what was and what might have been, mixed with acceptance of the life chosen.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).RebirthHealing
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% · Healing 5% (this title) · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Healing: Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).

13% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe film follows Nora as she revisits her childhood bond with Hae Sung, finding closure and affirming the life she has built, which fits a gentle healing arc rather than a conventional plot.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfRomanticlove
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% (this title) · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% (this title) · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Romantic love · 15% of filmsIdentity · 14% of filmsMemory · 3% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film weighs the what-if of a childhood connection against the reality of a marriage, exploring how love and identity are shaped by the paths not taken.
StanceThe film examines the idea of romantic love and fate without celebrating or dismissing it, leaving the central question—what if?—open-ended.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanDomesticRealistic
AmbientOrchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Christopher Bear, Daniel Rossen
Settingpresent-day New York City, with flashbacks to early-2000s Seoul
MusicAn atmospheric, piano-and-strings score that underscores the longing and quiet tension between the characters.

Content guide

Is Past Lives okay for kids?

PG-13

Past Lives is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for some strong language” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at minimal (4/100), sexual content at mild (16/100), language at moderate (37/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (35/100) and frightening material at minimal (11/100). Overall it is heavier than 5% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 25 other countries
  • UK12A
  • Canada18A
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany0
  • Ireland12A
  • JapanG
  • South Korea12
  • Brazil16
  • ArgentinaATP
  • Czechia12+
  • FinlandS
  • IsraelAll
  • LTN-13
  • MexicoB
  • Netherlands12
  • PhilippinesPG
  • PortugalM/12
  • PRPG-13
  • Russia16+
  • SingaporePG13
  • Spain7
  • SwedenBtl
  • Switzerland10
  • TH13
  • Türkiye10A
Overall
Mild · all five categories
Heavier than 8% of all filmsHeavier than 5% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
None / Minimal
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 3%
Sex & Nudity
Mild
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 22%
Profanity
Moderate
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 37%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 66%
Frightening / Intense
None / Minimal
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 12%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is language, heavier than 37% of PG-13-rated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Past Lives have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Past Lives?

Cast

Greta Lee
as Nora
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Teo Yoo
as Hae Sung
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
John Magaro
as Arthur
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Moon Seung-ah
as Young Nora
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Leem Seung-min
as Young Hae Sung
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Yun Ji-hye
as Nora's Mom
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Choi Won-young
as Nora's Dad
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Ahn Min-yeong
as Hae Sung's Mom
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Chang Ki-ha
as Hae Sung's Friend #1
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Jun Hyuk Park
as Hae Sung's Friend #3

Crew

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