# Past Lives (film)

Past Lives is a 2023 romantic drama film written and directed by Celine Song in her feature directorial debut. Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, it follows two childhood friends over the course of 24 years while they contemplate the nature of their relationship as they grow apart, living different lives. The plot is semi-autobiographical and inspired by real events from Song's life.
Past Lives premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023, and was released theatrically in the United States on June 2, 2023. It was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, receiving praise from critics and multiple accolades, with five nominations at the 81st Golden Globe Awards including for Best Motion Picture - Drama and nominations at the 96th Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

## Plot

In 1999, Seoul, South Korea, Na Young and Hae Sung are 12-year-old classmates who develop feelings for one another and go on a playdate set up by their parents. Shortly thereafter, Na Young's family immigrates to Canada and the two lose contact. Na Young changes her name to Nora Moon.
Twelve years later, in 2011, Hae Sung has finished his military service and Nora has moved to New York City. One day, Nora discovers on Facebook that Hae Sung had posted that he was looking for Na Young, unaware of her name change. They reconnect through video calls but are unable to visit each other, as Nora plans to attend a writer's retreat in Montauk and Hae Sung is moving to China for a Mandarin language exchange. Eventually, Nora tells Hae Sung they should stop talking for a while, as she wants to focus on her writing and life in New York.
At her retreat, Nora meets Arthur Zaturansky and they fall in love, at one point discussing the Buddhist-derived concept of inyeon (인연, dependent origination), how a relationship between two souls in the present life is influenced by interactions in thousands of past lives. Hae Sung also meets a woman, whom he begins to date.
Twelve more years pass, and Arthur and Nora are married and living in New York. Hae Sung, no longer with his girlfriend, travels to visit Nora. Arthur wonders if he is a roadblock in their love story, suggesting to Nora that, if another man with a similar appeal had met her at the same time, Nora would have married him to secure a green card for U.S. residency. Nora affirms that she loves Arthur. The following night, the three go out to a speakeasy. Initially, Nora translates between the two men, but eventually speaks with Hae Sung exclusively in Korean. He wonders what they were to each other in their past lives, and what would have happened if she had never left South Korea and they stayed together. When Nora goes to the bathroom, Hae Sung apologizes to Arthur for speaking alone with Nora, but Arthur says he is glad to have met him.
They return to Arthur and Nora's apartment. Hae Sung invites them to visit him in South Korea and calls for a taxi. Nora waits with him, and the two exchange long, meaningful looks at each other until the taxi arrives. Hae Sung wonders whether they were, at that moment, experiencing a past life, and asks Nora what their relationship will be in their next life. She says she does not know. Hae Sung says, "I'll see you then." He leaves in the car and she walks back to her apartment, crying into Arthur's arms.

## Cast

* Greta Lee as Nora Moon
** Seung Ah Moon as young Nora
* Teo Yoo as Hae Sung
** Seung Min Yim as young Hae Sung
* John Magaro as Arthur
* Ji-Hye Yoon as Nora's mother
* Choi Won-young as Nora's father
* Min Young Ahn as Hae Sung's mother
* Jojo T. Gibbs as Janice
* Emily Cass McDonnell as Rachel
* Federico Rodriguez as Robert
* Conrad Schott as Peter
* Kristen Sieh as Heather

## Production

In January 2020, it was announced Choi Woo-shik would star in the film, with Celine Song set to direct from a screenplay she wrote, and A24 set to produce and distribute alongside Killer Films and CJ ENM. In August 2021, it was announced that Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro joined the cast of the film, with Yoo replacing Choi.
Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner shot Past Lives on 35 mm film. Production took place during July and August 2021 at locations around New York, including the city's ferries, and under and along the landmark Manhattan Bridge. The apartment sets for Hae Sung and Nora's Skype/Zoom conversations were built adjacent to one another at Greenpoint Studios, Brooklyn, and filmed simultaneously. The production then moved to Seoul, South Korea, and filmed from late October to early November.

## Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023. It was also screened at 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 19, 2023. Later that month, StudioCanal and CJ ENM were among the distributors acquiring the international distribution rights. It was the opening film for the 2023 Seattle International Film Festival. Past Lives had a limited theatrical release in the United States on June 2, 2023, before expanding to more theaters on June 9; it was released nationwide on June 23.
It was screened at the 28th Busan International Film Festival as part of "Korean American Special Exhibition: Korean Diaspora" on 5 October 2023.

## Reception
### Box office

Past Lives grossed $11.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $31.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $42.5 million.
The film grossed $232,266 from four theaters in its opening weekend, an average of $55,066 per venue. By its sixth weekend, the film had a running total of $8.4 million.

### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 314 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 9.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A remarkable debut for writer-director Celine Song, Past Lives uses the bonds between its sensitively sketched central characters to support trenchant observations on the human condition." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 94 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". ABC News reported that the film received critical acclaim.
Manola Darghis, writing for The New York Times, compared the film to French romantic cinema, complimenting its restraint in the presentation of its main themes, and stating: "The movie’s modesty — its intimacy, human scale, humble locations and lack of visual oomph — is one of its strengths. The characters live in homes that are pleasant yet ordinary, the kind that you can imagine hanging out in, the kind you want to hang out in. There are few big, look-at-me details, though you might notice a poster for Jacques Rivette’s 1974 classic Céline and Julie Go Boating in Nora’s father’s home office in Seoul." Writing in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw was fulsome in his praise of the film comparing it to those of Richard Linklater, Noah Baumbach, and Greta Gerwig. He said of the film: "Past Lives is a glorious date movie, and a movie for every occasion, too. As ever with films like this, there is an auxiliary pleasure in wondering how much of her own past life Song has used. It's a must-see."
Filmmaker Daniel Scheinert, who co-directed A24's Everything Everywhere All at Once with his partner Daniel Kwan, praised the film, saying: "It's remarkable, the way she [Celine Song] pushed past the story of 'picking mister right' and the story of 'fighting to win the girl' and somehow brought her audience to this painfully relatable heartbreak on the other side of those stories. I'm inspired by it. And mystified by how the filmmaking team did it. But when I was lucky enough to see a Q&A and have some brunch with Celine, I saw how curious and thoughtful and passionate and charmingly bossy she was, and I was instantly convinced that this movie was no accident. It's a smart, confident, unique poem because Celine is a smart, confident, unique poet." Filmmaker Christopher Nolan also praised the film and named it one of his favorites, describing it as "subtle in a beautiful sort of way". Other filmmakers, such as Allison Anders, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Andrew Haigh, Max Hechtman and Zoe Lister-Jones cited it as among their favorite films of 2023.

#### Retrospective lists

Collider ranked it number 7 on its list of the "20 Best Drama Movies of the 2020s So Far", calling it "a story that could only exist because of modern circumstances, but feels timeless in its approach. How does someone choose between two lovers, one that represents the most fruitful days of her youth, and the other someone she has grown to love as part of her reality? Celine Song examines these critical conversations through the perspective of an immigrant story." In 2024, IndieWire included it on its list of the "Best American Independent Movies of the 21st Century". Looper also named it the "Best PG-13 Movie of All Time," calling it "a master class in the art of subtlety while evoking complex human emotions. The minimalist love story is like no other in how it expertly captures the slow-burn nature of fate. It's a bittersweet experience that'll leave you aching for all of life's "what-ifs.""

### Accolades

The National Society of Film Critics named the film its best picture of 2023.
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | March 10, 2024 | Best Picture | David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler | Nominated | |
| Academy Awards | March 10, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| African-American Film Critics Association | January 15, 2024 | Top 10 Films of the Year | Past Lives | 5th Place | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Non-English-Language Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Woman's Breakthrough Performance | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Screenplay, Original | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Woman Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Woman Screenwriter | Celine Song | Won | |
| American Cinema Editors | March 3, 2024 | Best Edited Feature Film (Drama, Theatrical) | Keith Fraase | Nominated | |
| American Film Institute Awards | December 7, 2023 | Top 10 Films of the Year | Past Lives | Won | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | November 3, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Won | |
| Artios Awards | March 7, 2024 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Feature Studio or Independent (Drama) | Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne Scheel | Won | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best First Feature | Celine Song | Won | |
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 10, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 10, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 10, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 10, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 10, 2024 | Best First Film | Celine Song | Won | |
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards | January 10, 2024 | The Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Berlin International Film Festival | February 25, 2023 | Golden Bear | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Black Film Critics Circle | December 20, 2023 | Top Ten Films | Past Lives | 6th Place | |
| Black Film Critics Circle | December 20, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best New Filmmaker | Celine Song | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Actor | Teo Yoo | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Film Not in the English Language | Celine Song, David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon | Nominated | |
| British Independent Film Awards | December 3, 2023 | Best International Independent Film | Celine Song, David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler | Nominated | |
| Celebration of Cinema & Television | December 4, 2023 | Actress Award (Film) | Greta Lee | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 12, 2023 | Best Actor | Teo Yoo | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 12, 2023 | Most Promising Performer | Teo Yoo | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 12, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 12, 2023 | Milos Stehlik Award for Breakthrough Filmmaker | Celine Song | Won | |
| Cinema Eye Honors | January 12, 2024 | Heterodox Award | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Cinema for Peace Awards | February 18–19, 2024 | Cinema for Peace Dove for The Most Valuable Film of the Year 2024 | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 14, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 14, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 14, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Top 10 Films of the Year | Past Lives | 6th Place | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | 5th Place | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | 4th Place | |
| Deauville American Film Festival | September 9, 2023 | Grand Special Prize | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | January 12, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | January 12, 2024 | Best Lead Performance by an Actor, Female | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | January 12, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | January 12, 2024 | Best Non-English Language Feature | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | February 10, 2024 | Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film | Celine Song | Won | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards | December 19, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Won | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards | December 19, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Won | |
| Film Fest Ghent | October 21, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Film Fest Ghent | October 21, 2023 | Special Mention | Greta Lee, Yoo Teo and John Magaro | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 21, 2023 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 21, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 21, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 21, 2023 | Best First Film | Celine Song | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | December 21, 2023 | Breakout Award | Celine Song | Runner-up | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | January 5, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Runner-up | [61] [62] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | January 5, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | [61] [62] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | January 5, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | [61] [62] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | January 5, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Runner-up | [61] [62] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | January 5, 2024 | Best Original Song | Sharon Van Etten and Zach Dawes ("Quiet Eyes") | Nominated | [61] [62] |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Picture – Non-English Language | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Golden Trailer Awards | June 29, 2023 | Best Romance | "Fate" (Mark Wollen & Associates) | Won | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2023 | Best Feature | Past Lives | Won | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2023 | Breakthrough Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2023 | Outstanding Lead Performance | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Runner-up | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Indie | Past Lives | Won | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Runner-up | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Actor | Teo Yoo | Runner-up | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Won | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | John Magaro | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards | June 30, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 15, 2023 | Best Original Song — Independent Film | Sharon Van Etten and Zach Dawes ("Quiet Eyes") | Nominated | [67] [68] |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 22, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | [69] [70] |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 22, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | [69] [70] |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 22, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | [69] [70] |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Film | David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon | Won | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Won | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Lead Performance | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Lead Performance | Teo Yoo | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [72] [73] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | [72] [73] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Lead Performance | Greta Lee | Nominated | [72] [73] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | [72] [73] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Breakout of the Year | Celine Song | Won | [72] [73] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Foreign Language Film | Past Lives | Nominated | [72] [73] |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | 4th Place | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | 7th Place | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Performance | Greta Lee | 9th Place | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | 2nd Place | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best First Feature | Past Lives | Won | |
| Jerusalem Film Festival | July 23, 2023 | Best International Debut | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | December 13, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | December 13, 2023 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | December 13, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | December 13, 2023 | Breakout Filmmaker | Celine Song | Won | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 10, 2023 | New Generation Award | Celine Song | Won | |
| Manaki Brothers Film Festival | September 29, 2023 | Golden Camera 300 | Shabier Kirchner | Nominated | |
| Middleburg Film Festival | October 22, 2023 | MFF Breakthrough Filmmaker Award | Celine Song | Won | |
| Minnesota Film Critics Alliance | February 4, 2024 | Best Picture | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Minnesota Film Critics Alliance | February 4, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Minnesota Film Critics Alliance | February 4, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |
| Minnesota Film Critics Alliance | February 4, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Runner-up | |
| Miskolc International Film Festival | September 9, 2023 | Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| National Board of Review | December 6, 2023 | Top Ten Films | Past Lives | Won | |
| National Board of Review | December 6, 2023 | Best Directorial Debut | Celine Song | Won | |
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Won | |
| National Society of Film Critics Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Runner-up | |
| New York Film Critics Online Awards | December 15, 2023 | Top 10 Films | Past Lives | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online Awards | December 15, 2023 | Best Debut Director | Celine Song | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | November 30, 2023 | Best First Film | Past Lives | Won | |
| North Texas Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| North Texas Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society | December 18, 2023 | Top Ten Films of 2023 | Past Lives | Won | |
| Oklahoma Film Critics Circle | January 3, 2024 | Top 10 Films | Past Lives | 5th Place | |
| Oklahoma Film Critics Circle | January 3, 2024 | Best First Feature | Celine Song | Won | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | February 25, 2024 | Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 19, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 19, 2023 | Best First Feature | Celine Song | Runner-up | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 9, 2024 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 9, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 9, 2024 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 9, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Motion Picture, Drama | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Screenplay, Original | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | February 10, 2024 | Virtuoso Award | Greta Lee | Won | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Picture of the Year | Past Lives | Won | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | January 8, 2024 | Best Film Editing | Keith Frasse | Nominated | |
| Southeastern Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Top 10 Films | Past Lives | 6th Place | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Sydney Film Festival | June 18, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Runner-up | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best First Feature | Past Lives | Runner-up | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Film | Past Lives | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Director | Celine Song | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Actress | Greta Lee | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Won | |
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards | December 18, 2023 | Best Movie by a Woman | Past Lives | Won | |
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards | December 18, 2023 | Best Woman Storyteller | Celine Song | Won | |
| Women Film Critics Circle Awards | December 18, 2023 | Best Screen Couple | Greta Lee and John Magaro | Runner-up | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | April 14, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Celine Song | Nominated | |