NetflixPast Lives (2023)
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Center
Viewer Rating
Rating: 8.6
Overview
After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Netflix
Paramount+
Apple TVBias Dimensions
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Buddhism: Positive
Overview
After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
NetflixParamount+Apple TVDetailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Center
Primary
The film receives a neutral rating because it primarily focuses on apolitical, humanistic themes of identity, relationships, and cultural displacement, deliberately avoiding explicit political commentary or ideological advocacy despite its engagement with issues often discussed in progressive cultural discourse.
The movie features a diverse cast centered on Korean American characters and their experiences, contributing to greater representation. Its narrative deeply explores themes of immigration and cultural identity, without explicitly critiquing traditional identities, presenting them neutrally or positively.
Secondary
The film utilizes the Buddhist-derived concept of *in-yun* (fate/connection across lives) as a central narrative device, exploring its philosophical implications for human relationships with nuance and depth. While characters discuss it with a mix of sincerity and skepticism, the narrative treats the concept with respect, using it to enrich the film's themes of destiny and connection.
Past Lives does not explicitly portray LGBTQ+ characters or themes. While its universal exploration of love, connection, and identity resonates deeply with queer audiences, the film's narrative itself does not feature any direct LGBTQ+ representation, leading to an N/A rating for depiction.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film "Past Lives" is a semi-autobiographical drama where all major characters' on-screen genders align with their real-life or source counterparts. There are no instances of characters established as one gender being portrayed as a different gender.
The film's major characters, Nora and Hae Sung, are established as Korean within the original narrative. They are portrayed by actors of Korean descent, aligning with their characters' ethnic and phenotypical traits. No character established as one race was portrayed as a different race.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
8.6
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
User Ratings
7.8
7.7
Critic Ratings
9.5
9.4
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