Celine Song’s new slow-burn drama PAST LIVES is an unrequited-love story in the same way John Carney’s slow-burn musical drama ONCE is — that is, just on the surface. But each film’s central would-be romance is a delivery device for deeper ideas about the weight of carrying nostalgia for past relationships and always wondering “what if?”. We’re joined once again by David Chen of DecodingEverthing.com to talk through PAST LIVES and how it functions as a different kind of immigration narrative, and the way it connects to ONCE in its depiction of sublimated longing, creative pursuits, and the language barriers that both unite and divide. And in Your Next Picture Show we take a brief look back through the many, many unrequited-love stories we’ve covered on this podcast over the years.
Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ONCE, PAST LIVES, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.
Next Pairing: Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s THEATER CAMP and Christopher Guest’s WAITING FOR GUFFMAN.
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#291: Musical Variations, Pt. 1 — One From The Heart
#290: Knight Visions, Pt. 2 — The Green Knight
#289: Knight Visions, Pt. 1 — Excalibur
#288: Interior Angles, Pt. 2 – Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
#287: Interior Angles, Pt. 1 – Crumb
#286: The Summer of '69, Pt. 2: Summer of Soul
#285: The Summer of '69, Pt. 1: Woodstock (1970)
Bonus Episode: The State of Streaming Movies
#284: Immigrant Songs, Pt. 2 — In the Heights
#283: Immigrant Songs, Pt. 1 — West Side Story (1961)
#282: Survivors Down Under Pt. 2 — The Dry
#281: Survivors Down Under Pt. 1 — Picnic at Hanging Rock
#280: Window Watchers Pt. 2 — The Woman in the Window
#279: Window Watchers, Pt. 1: Rear Window
#278: Fighting Spirits, Pt. 2: Mortal Kombat (2021)
#277: Fighting Spirits, Pt. 1: Big Trouble In Little China
#276: One Wedding and a Funeral, Pt. 2 — Shiva Baby
#275: One Wedding and a Funeral, Pt. 1 — Rachel Getting Married
#274: Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Twice, Pt. 2 — Nobody
#273: Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Twice, Pt. 1 — The Limey
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