Critics darling Greta Lee (‘Past Lives) is coming for that Oscar
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Sumptuous isn’t often used to describe movies but Celine Song‘s debut feature “Past Lives” fits that description. The A24 movie, which was released in US theaters on June 2, is a showcase for Greta Lee and Teo Yoo who play childhood best friends who get back in touch years later to find that they still have a connection. The movie merits a jaw-dropping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes — that is the highest score out of any of our predicted Best Picture contenders.
Critics singled out Lee, who turns in a masterful, restrained performance as a woman caught between two worlds. She toys with ideas of destiny vs reality, wondering “what if…” while remaining grounded. It’s a great performance from “The Morning Show” actress. Here’s just a sampling of her rave reviews:
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Nick De Semlyen (Empire) proclaimed: “This is Greta Lee’s show: she’s magnificent in the role, by turns steely, fearful, yearning and impish. In one scene with Arthur, Nora explains the meaning of ‘inyeon,’ a spiritual connection between two people based on interactions between their previous incarnations.”
David Rooney (The Hollywood Reporter) commented: What to say about the extraordinary depths of Lee’s performance? She makes you live inside Nora’s head for the duration, tending to let the character’s intelligence prevail over her emotions to the point where her one moment of raw release will rip you apart. There’s so much going on behind Lee’s eyes that you’re aware of Nora being transported, caught up in the what-ifs of another life and saddened by the awareness of that untraveled path always occupying an empty space inside her.”
David Ehrlich (Indie Wire) observed: “Lee’s miraculous performance cuts to the heart of her character’s self-divided identity with the casual grace of a surgeon operating on a perfect stranger. She uses Nora’s personal confidence and creative ambition as a shield to protect herself from what might have been, which makes the rare moments when she lowers her guard feel almost unbearably vulnerable… The absolute immediacy of Lee’s performance allows you to feel every frame of ‘Past Lives’ on your skin, which is crucial to a film that conveys the brunt of its meaning through sense instead of story.”
Lee has already garnered the attention of several critics groups and festivals. She won Best Actress at the Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards and will receive the Virtuoso Award at the upcoming Santa Barbara International Film Festival. And she’s nominated for Best Lead Performance at the upcoming Gotham Independent Film Awards. We expect her to reap many more bids and victories at other critics’ awards, too.
This could well become the foundation of a solid Oscar campaign that leads to an Academy Award nomination, as it has done for several other Best Actress nominees.
Andrea Riseborough was nominated earlier this year for “To Leslie” after she was nominated at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards. Kristen Stewart landed a bid in 2022 for “Spencer” after contending at the Austin Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, the San Diego Film Critics Society and the Toronto Film Critics Association, plus wins at the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association and Hollywood Critics Association. Similarly, Vanessa Kirby reaped a bid in 2021 for “Pieces of Woman” after she was nominated at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards, the Houston Film Critics Society, and the St. Louis Film Critics Association. And Glenn Close came, uh, close to an Oscar win in 2019 for “The Wife” after she won at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the San Diego Film Critics Society and was nominated at the Florida Film Critics Circle and the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (again, amongst others).
At the moment, our predicted nominees are Emma Stone (“Poor Things”), Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”), Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”), and Margot Robbie (“Barbie”). Lee is just outside of our predicted five and is on the precipice of breaking into the lineup along with the likes of Fantasia Barrino (“The Color Purple”), Annette Bening (“Nyad”), and Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”).
However, Lee is the strongest out of those outside contenders as her movie is predicted to land a Best Picture nomination. If voters are going to nominate “Past Lives” for the top prize, they’ll likely put it forward in other categories, too. And because of the nature of the film, there aren’t too many races it could actually get into. It could be nominated for Actor (Yoo) and Supporting Actor (John Magaro) but those categories feel too strong for either man to sneak into. It could land a bid for Cinematography and Director but perhaps the film isn’t showy enough to get into either of those lineups. The film is a masterclass in restraint and its visual language is clever, for sure, but doesn’t attract the same attention cinematography-wise as other movies do.
So that only leaves Original Screenplay for Song’s own script and Actress. We predict that Song will be nominated for Original Screenplay but Lee could also get taken along for the ride, too. It’s one of the few categories where it makes sense for voters to nominate the movie and it is absolutely Lee’s film. Her lead role is phenomenal and her final scene is the cathartic ending the movie needed — a scene that stays in viewers’ minds long after the credits roll.
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