Celine Song’s directorial debut, Past Lives, garnered an immense amount of critical praise, with strong (and very early!) Oscar buzz coming out of the Sundance Film Festival in January. Antonio Elefano and I discuss whether the film lives up to the hype, dissect the the themes, and explain how the screenplay redefines romance. The film will play in theaters everywhere starting June 23rd.

Movie News Check-In :52

The Short Take 16:00

The Recommendation Algorithm (Spoiler Free) 26:53

SPOILER MODE 36:18

The Rhetorical Situation 36:50

Oscars Watch 1:43:00

Image Credit: LA Times

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Get full access to The Long Take at thelongtake.substack.com/subscribe