Past Lives, the Oscar-nominated Korean drama, is now available to stream on Netflix UK.
READ MORE: Oscars 2024 nominations – see the full list
Korean-Canadian writer and director Celine Song’s debut movie is nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at next month’s Academy Awards.
The widely acclaimed film was released in UK cinemas in September, but is now available to watch on Netflix at no extra cost for subscribers in the UK and Ireland.
Starring Greta Lee (The Morning Show) and Teo Yoo, Past Lives follows the characters of Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends in South Korea who are torn apart when Nora’s family moves to Canada. Decades later, the pair reconnect via social media and, after meeting up in New York, ponder their romantic compatibility.
NME named Past Lives as its top film of 2023, placing it above Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer.
In a glowing five-star review, we wrote: “Past Lives possesses quiet power. Much of its most gripping sections are wordless, such as when Nora and Hae Sung awkwardly smile at each other over video call, not knowing how to break the ice after so long. Each yearning look, every anxious giggle slowly adds to the tension until you’ll be standing on your cinema seat screaming for them to ‘get on and shag already!’
“Then there’s the script, which features corny sayings including ‘marriage is planting two trees in one pot’ and ‘if you leave something behind, you gain something too’. In reality, these lines sound like something your grandma might bring out after one too many bedtime sherries, but when absorbed in Nora and Hae Sung’s journey feel like the first true thing you’ve ever heard.
“Past Lives will make you think your hardest, most devastating breakup was not only worth it, but the best moment of your life.”
If you’re looking to catch up on all of the Oscar-nominated films ahead of this year’s ceremony, here’s where you can watch them.