Past Lives
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
Despite its modest budget of $12.0M, Past Lives became a box office success, earning $28.1M worldwide—a 134% return.
Nominated for 2 Oscars. 83 wins & 239 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Past Lives (2023) showcases precise narrative architecture, characteristic of Celine Song's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 46 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.4, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Three people sit at a bar - a Korean woman between two men, one Asian, one white. Strangers speculate about their relationship, establishing the film's central question of identity and connection.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Nora's family leaves Korea for Canada. Young Hae Sung watches her leave, unable to say goodbye properly. The separation that will define both their lives begins.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Hae Sung messages Nora after 12 years of silence. He's coming to New York. The past returns, disrupting the equilibrium of Nora's married life and forcing her to confront what she's left behind., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 79 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Arthur breaks down, confronting his insecurity and alienation. He tells Nora he feels like "the evil white American husband" keeping her from her Korean soulmate. The emotional cost of Nora's choice becomes undeniable., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 84 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Nora decides to meet Hae Sung one final time before he returns to Korea. She sees clearly that she can honor both her past and her present, that both lives are real, but she must choose the one she's built., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Past Lives's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Past Lives against these established plot points, we can identify how Celine Song utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Past Lives within the drama genre.
Celine Song's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Celine Song films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.4, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Past Lives exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Celine Song filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Celine Song analyses, see Materialists.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Three people sit at a bar - a Korean woman between two men, one Asian, one white. Strangers speculate about their relationship, establishing the film's central question of identity and connection.
Theme
Young Nora's mother explains "In-Yun" - the concept that if two people walk past each other on the street, it means there were 8,000 layers of In-Yun in their past lives. The film's central theme of fate, connection, and paths not taken.
Worldbuilding
Seoul, 2000s: 12-year-old Na Young (later Nora) and Hae Sung are top students and childhood sweethearts. We see their innocent connection before Na Young's family emigrates to Canada, establishing the life she's leaving behind.
Disruption
Nora's family leaves Korea for Canada. Young Hae Sung watches her leave, unable to say goodbye properly. The separation that will define both their lives begins.
Resistance
Twelve years later: Nora is now a writer in New York, fully Americanized. Hae Sung is doing military service in Korea. They reconnect on Facebook and begin video chatting, exploring whether their childhood connection still exists across distance and time.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
Twelve more years pass. Nora and Arthur are married, living in New York. She's a successful playwright. Meanwhile, Hae Sung has become an engineer in Korea. Both have built complete lives apart, seemingly moving on from their connection.
Midpoint
Hae Sung messages Nora after 12 years of silence. He's coming to New York. The past returns, disrupting the equilibrium of Nora's married life and forcing her to confront what she's left behind.
Opposition
Hae Sung arrives in New York. Nora shows him the city over several days. The tension between her two lives intensifies - her marriage to Arthur and her deep connection to Hae Sung. Arthur feels increasingly like an outsider to their shared Korean past.
Collapse
Arthur breaks down, confronting his insecurity and alienation. He tells Nora he feels like "the evil white American husband" keeping her from her Korean soulmate. The emotional cost of Nora's choice becomes undeniable.
Crisis
Nora comforts Arthur, reaffirming their marriage. She processes the impossible position she's in - genuinely loving Arthur while confronting the profound connection to Hae Sung that transcends time and language.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Nora decides to meet Hae Sung one final time before he returns to Korea. She sees clearly that she can honor both her past and her present, that both lives are real, but she must choose the one she's built.
Synthesis
Nora and Hae Sung meet at the bar (the opening scene). They walk through nighttime New York, finally acknowledging their love and grief. At her door, they share a goodbye - tender, devastating, final. He gets in a cab. She watches him leave.
Transformation
Nora returns to her apartment and collapses sobbing in Arthur's arms. She has chosen her present life while honoring her past. She contains multitudes - Korean and American, past and present, all the lives she could have lived.