A24 Just Dropped the Trailer for their K-Drama
A24 seems intent on spearheading proper Asian representation in the West. In the past three years the paradoxically indie powerhouse studio has garnered a loyal following, a reputation for reliable quality, and — most importantly — trust. Asian-led projects (The Farewell, Minari, Everything Everywhere All At Once) are handled with such care that Asian diaspora audiences often leave theaters soaked in a life’s worth of repressed tears. Critics and audiences have rewarded the craft with, among other accolades, Oscar nominations.
While we’re still waiting to see if Michelle Yeoh will be the first Asian-identifying woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress (Merle Oberon was the first actress of Asian descent to win the award, but her heritage was not known until after her death), A24 wants us to know it hasn’t stopped producing Asian-led movies. This is not a phase.
Past Lives stars Greta Lee (Russian Doll), Teo Yoo (Decision to Leave), and John Magaro (The Umbrella Academy) in a K-drama-style international love triangle. Nora (Lee) and Arthur (Magaro) are a happy couple in America, but when she visits Korea, Nora runs into her childhood love, Hae Sung (Yoo). Rekindling their friendship threatens to rekindle more. Arthur tries his best to be a supporting husband even as Hae Sung flies thirteen hours to America to “visit” Nora.
Just as with The Farewell, Minari, and Pachinko before it, Past Lives features an international cast spanning the Korean diaspora. Writer-director Celine Song was born in South Korea and moved to Canada at the age of 12 before going on to pursue theater in New York City. Greta Lee was born in Los Angeles to Korean immigrant parents before moving to Chicago for college as a theater major, then New York City for acting. Teo Yoo was born in Germany to Korean immigrant parents, and has studied acting in the U.S. and in England. He’s starred in Russian musical films and K-dramas. Though he’s not shown in the trailer, it seems like Choi Woo-shik will be in the film, too, one of his many projects after Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite.
The slow still shots, terse dialogue, and muted color palette give the movie an indie feel, but the messy drama is unmistakably Korean. At the same time, Song has thrown in a fresh twist on the typical K-drama love triangle but introducing a uniquely Western twist, with Arthur openly joking wouldn’t it be great if the White American guy stood in the way between two Korean childhood sweethearts reconnecting.
The trailer alone promises a thoughtful, wistful movie about what gets lost in immigration, while promising the heart-racing spice of K-dramas.
