One of the most buzzed-about movies of 2023 is getting a surprise release on Netflix in the UK. After netting two Oscar nominations (including for Best Picture) and getting five stars in our review, the Korean-Canadian love story Past Lives will be arriving on Netflix UK on Thursday, February 15.
This announcement has pleased many streaming fans who missed the film's cinema run, because it previously wasn't available on any streaming service in the UK. Previous films from its distributor, A24, have gone to various streaming services, though a recent deal has ensured that Netflix gets most of them.
Past Lives tells the story of two children in Seoul, Na Young and Hae Sung, who become very close... until the former's family moves to Canada and they lose contact. Over the ensuing decades, the two fall in and out of each others' lives as they each have their own romances and lives.
In our Past Lives review, we called it "thematically rich, expertly crafted" and said that it'll "wow you when all is said and done." We gave it five stars and didn't have a single 'con' to list for it!
The movie, directed by Celine Song in her directorial movie debut, was critically acclaimed upon its release. As well as its nomination for the Best Picture Oscar, it also got a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and you'll have to wait until the ceremony on Sunday, March 10 to see if it wins.
Past Lives is now the highest-profile Oscar-nominated movie on Netflix that wasn't made by the streamer itself, as the likes of Maestro, Society of the Snow and May December were all originals (even if the latter isn't on the streamer in the UK yet!).
To see most of the other Best Picture nominees you'll have to go to the cinema, with Poor Things, The Zone of Interest and The Holdovers all airing at the moment, and Barbie, Oppenheimer, Anatomy of a Fall and Killers of the Flower Moon getting limited re-releases to coincide with their nominations. That leaves Maestro, already on Netflix, and American Fiction, which comes to UK cinemas on Friday, February 2.
Whether you want to see one of the most talked-about movies of 2023, or just want to catch a lovely romance story, Past Lives is well worth watching when it hits Netflix.
