Past Lives streams on MUBI in the United Kingdom, Crave in Canada, Netflix in Australia, WOW or Sky Go in Germany, and Player in Poland. There is currently no subscription option in the United States, where rental or purchase is the only route.
Where to stream Past Lives (2023)
| Country | Available on |
|---|---|
| United States | No subscription option |
| United Kingdom | MUBI |
| Canada | Crave |
| Australia | Netflix |
| Germany | WOW, Sky Go, Arthaus+ Apple TV channel, Arthaus+, Magenta TV+ |
| Poland | Player, CDA Premium, Polsat Box Go |
Is Past Lives worth watching?
Yes, and it is the quietest recommendation in this section. Celine Song wrote and directed it from something close to her own life, and almost nothing happens: two childhood friends reconnect, a husband is patient, and a conversation on a stoop does the work most films assign to a third act. The restraint is total and deliberate.
Know that it is not a romance in the usual sense. Nobody betrays anybody, there is no choice to agonise over, and the film's argument is that some relationships are simply not going to happen and that this is not a tragedy. People arriving expecting a love triangle find it anticlimactic. People arriving expecting to be gently taken apart usually are.
What to watch next
Sources and further reading
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FAQs about Where to Watch Past Lives
Is it a love triangle film?
No, and that is what surprises people. There is no betrayal, no ultimatum, and the husband is written with real generosity rather than as an obstacle. The film's argument is that some relationships were never going to happen, and it treats that as a fact rather than a wound.
How much of it is in Korean?
Roughly half, subtitled, and the language split is doing structural work: the film uses which language a scene is in to mark which version of herself the protagonist is inhabiting. Watching it dubbed would remove one of its main devices, so stay with subtitles.
Is it as sad as people say?
It is quieter than sad for most of its length and then lands very hard in the final ten minutes. There is no catastrophe and nobody is punished, which for many viewers makes it worse rather than better. Do not put it on expecting an easy evening.