Past Lives Ending IS Perfect

Past Lives Ending Explained
#pastlives #a24 #endingexplained

"Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Decades later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love and the choices that make a life."

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[Andrew-bnrr]

Subtle bit on her crying at the end, she also mentioned that after she migrated she cried but soon stopped after realizing nobody cared, but clearly Arthur cares and is there for her. But more importantly I think its the symbolism of her letting go of her past life, not just with Hae Song, but of life in Korea.

[benjamindanielmusic]

Long comment/analysis ahead...

I keep seeing people commenting on Past Lives videos that they want Nora to be with Hae Song at the end and implying that the film lets you use your imagination, or that Arthur is clearly second fiddle so it's something of a tragic end for everyone. Oh man. Folks don't understand. Nora's union with Arthur in the film's final moment is so crucial. And SO beautiful!

The film explicitly states (and shows) that the struggle isn't her choosing between her old flame and her husband. Her marriage to Arthur is set in stone. The struggle is that Nora has never come to grips with leaving her home behind at 12 and Hae Song's visit is bringing it all back in a way that's bringing the grief to the surface and beginning to let Arthur in on a part of Nora that she's never let him into before.

Her breaking down crying with Arthur is not because she regrets leaving behind Hae Song, it's because she's leaving behind her past. And contrary to thoughts of her returning to Hae Song, her being this emotionally vulnerable with Arthur right at the end immediately takes their marriage to another place. Remember, earlier in the film Arthur is surprised that she used to be a crybaby and further expresses sadness that there are parts of her he will never have access to. Her breakdown at the end, showing Arthur her old crybaby self, is finally her letting him in to her old life for the first time.

It brings catharsis for Nora to mourn her past, in which Hae Song is a representative, but it also brings Arthur closure for their marriage, being able to know his past wife now in addition to his present wife.

It's so beautiful. I've seen the movie three times now and I will fight anyone who turns this into a cliché love triangle story. It's so much deeper and more personal. If you rewatch, you actually see the chemistry between Nora and Hae Song is more one-sided than it initially seems from the time of their reunion. She pulls away far more often than you think on first watch, and the tension on her end is significantly blunted, but she's just enamored with this piece of her past that's returned. Heck, even in their intimate Skype conversations 12 years earlier, there's a tender moment where Nora says "I miss you, " and it's more to the Seoul skyline he's showing her from his laptop than to Hae Song himself. And as she later explicitly says to Arthur, "It's really intense, but I don't think it's attraction, I think I just missed him a lot. I missed Seoul."

Also, I want to give a hand for the biggest twist of the movie being that everyone is actually aware of what's going on and lays it out for the audience to see the whole time. Such a rare, honest film where every character (*gasp!*) actually communicates with each other in a mature way and makes it out with their integrity and humanity intact. One of the best I've seen in years.

[totoro____]

The last scene when they're waiting for the uber, there's a line between them on the ground .. and neither of them "cross the line" they both lean towards each other but noone crosses over

[kongv]

When he asks the final question I think it wasn't just about their future lives, it was also actually him asking if he still has a chance with Nora. Leading into the end Nora and Hae Sung talk about how the child she was as if it were someone else a different life and she's is gone now, this gives context to the ending.

The way they speak about In Yun, the love is always framed in the past, there's no future really that's why his question is so peculiar. The purpose of his question was for both of them to establish the possibility for a relationship with each other not just within In Yun but the present.

The ending scene paralleled their goodbyes as children and he never got the goodbye he yearned for, so he finally gave in and asked her to stay in his own way. This film is a lot about coming to terms of the unhealed self/ unhealed love. Just like Nora was tending to her 'past self' by communicating with Hae Sung, Hae Sung was finally able to give closure and tend for himself and did what his 'Past self' wasn't able to.

symbolized him being the person left behind and same in the end. But the final scene is of only him in a car moving right symbolizing he is moving on too. If you leave something, you gain something too.

Also Hae Suing was who she cried to growing up and at the end when she cried into Arthur's arms it further emphasized that this is her life now not the 'past self' who cried to Hae sung

[wgonzalez]

I think at the very end... Hae Sung found closure. He was never rude to Nora during the entire film... but while waiting for the Uber on the final scene, he tells Nora "You are the one who always leaves". I never left". This is absolutely true as Nora leaves him as children to go to Canada and then she leaves him again when reconnected 12 years after to focus on her career. Those words from Hae Sung broke her (literally) when she (once again) becomes a "crybaby" in the arms of Arthur. Wow... powerful stuff!!!

[Daewonnni]

For Korean migrants what’s also interesting is that many don’t ever have the closure of the culture they have left behind. Perhaps Hae Sung and Nora’s story speaks beyond unacquainted love, and to their being as well. Years on migrants are different people now, but the past life of who we could have been can mark us so deeply.

[brianng]

I was surprised she cried at the end. But it definitely looks like Hae Sung is finally letting go and moving on. I wished they showed him with a bigger smile in the cab as he is ready to find love again.

[manny]

I really felt the pain of this movie relating to own choices in life. It was good they said goodbye in a raw bittersweet way. This movie really had me considering the way I treated an old crush. Globe trotting, road tripping across the USA, dating other people for a time. I do wonder where I could’ve been if I had opened up sooner. One of my best friend describes me like the wind. Always coming and going. It was cool to hear others in the theater crying about their own what ifs and to the closure offered at the very end.

[Dミツル]

I had a childhood friend whom we met through our parents. My parents and her parents were friends. We parted from each other because i immigrated to US along with my family. 9 years later I visited my hometown and she was there. We went out on date. And when I left again, this time we exchanged address to telecommunicate with letters ✍️ (it was the mid 90s). Five years later, I visited my hometown again. She was there but married 💍. Another 20 years passed and I found her SNS. She’s got family now which is great. And I have my life here as well ☺️

[GlueGuy]

It's a "what if" movie. Nora cried coz of the "what could have been" part of her life that she will never know.

[ting-ting]

20 years ago I met my friend. We were 12. Like Hae Song, he sat near the front row to the right side of the classroom. We were also competitive.
But he passed away from a car accident in 7th grade. He was only 12. He was Korean American and bilingual.

That scene where they’re at the bar and he’s talking about what could have happened had they’d grown up together. Would they have dated? Married? Had kids?
There’s a part of me that always thinks about that. If we could’ve grown up together. What would he be like as someone grown up?

I could relate to growing up in Canada. I was born in Canada and I started tearing up when they arrived to the airport. I hadn’t gone back to Canada. Then we moved to the states.

To me, the movie was about the what if’s. The grief that comes with having to say goodbye to your past, to a time of your life that you can’t go back to due to circumstances outta your control. It’s been 18 years since he’d passed but I’ve never once forgot him. In my mind, he’s still that 12 year old boy.

[roygbiv]

Honestly, movies like this should be the reason why Korean shows that include English dialogue like Squid Games needs to hire someone who knows the language to write a good, realistic English dialogue.

[TheShanlou]

Such a subtle film, but really special. Beautiful script, beautiful cinematography, sublime performances. I am so glad that it ended that way, as it didn't need a big dramatic ending to be powerful. Thank you for this video.

[reddpy]

Just watched the movie and feeling a bit confused and broken afterwards. It ended on such a bittersweet note but it also gave a big feeling of resolutions since it became apparent that they both were products of life and their circumstances

[milk_cow_blues]

The fact that people insist so much that Nora did not love Hae Sung and that what she felt for him was limited only to her place of origin only reinforces the main plot narrative: hyper-individualism in the modern era is affecting love relationships, to the extent that it no longer allows us to see things that are totally clear.

I mean, a person just doesn't cry that way for someone they don't love. Not to mention that they both care about each other throughout the entire film.

On the other hand, we tend to constantly think that an emotional relationship is a hindrance to our objectives and personal goals when this is not always the case.

For example, in this film, I don´t think being with Hae Sung really wouldn't have changed Nora's desire to be a writer. She could be with him and continue trying to achieve her personal goals.

Even the film clearly shows that there are possibilities in which one abandons everything for a dream that never materializes. As the story goes on we see that years have passed and she has not won a major award in literature, and not only that, her expectations are constantly changing to something more realistic .

[divinebirthrights]

To me what I got from it, was that the universe will make a way for connections that are fated, but it’s still up to you to choose the fate of this connection in this life! Hae Young never admitted to himself, & to Nora that he wanted to be with her. He never said he wanted to be with her, he never said he wanted to make it work. I feel that’s what Nora was waiting for him to say but he never did it, or made a move. He always would be more ambiguous. It’s more of a take the opportunities you have while you have it in the moment, you guys will compromise & make it work if it’s meant to be!

[timothpaul]

Yeah, this ending was pretty rough. I didn't see it coming. I think her crying at the end really broke me down to tears (manly tears, of course). I found myself yelling at the screen. Even though it was the right ending, I think it was too heartbreaking

[AlanHChow]

Good overview, it's probably more of a common experience than generally thought. Not in an exact sense or even across cultures. It is the impact time with some-one you will care for all your life, even if choices and circumstances separate you. It is to be cherished and to be grateful for a very human experience. The connection is almost magical, it transcend even time.

[rakeera]

I don’t think this is a love story. It’s a story of each of their lives

[BacknMetro]

I think this movie is about accepting grief & knowing when to say goodbye. Nora moved on but it was incomplete because she never allowed herself to fully grieve and say a proper goodbye to Hae Song & to her childhood self. And Hae Song for most of the movie was not ready to say goodbye but finally is by planning a trip to NYC "to see Nora one more time".

I see the ending while heart wrenching, hopeful. Nora can now fully embrace her future with her husband in NYC. And Hae Song by finally closing the door may now be able to open himself up to new experiences, new people and hopefully a new relationship. The ending is sad but hopeful at the same time.