Past Lives’ Celine Song Talks About Writing And Directing Her Devastating Debut Film [Exclusive Interview]

You mentioned in a Deadline interview that there were some challenges or differences when it came to filming the scenes in Korea versus in New York City. Can you tell us a little more about the change in approach that came with the different locations?

Just the basic fundamental blocks of the filmmaking culture is different. For example, the way that being a leader works is very different. There’s no real role that is the production designer — not always, not really, in Korea. And so for example, that role was something that my production designer that I brought from New York worked through to really be able to do, because just the making of the movie is different.

Departments are different. I think my DP [Director of Photography], Shabier Kirchner, he was saying that it’s actually closer to the UK system, but it is also mixed in with other kinds of filmmaking culture. I think that in translating that, I think it really had to let us stay really nimble. For example, when we were shooting on location in New York, we were getting permits. And in Korea, you don’t really get permits to shoot on location. Some places you do, but not always.

Sometimes, you’re just showing up to the place with a full film crew and just start rolling, which I thought was so wild, because in New York, you can’t move a piece of rock without telling the city about it. [laughs] It’s just a completely different approach to even being able to get into a location.

In previous group interview, Greta Lee talked about how she was originally turned down for the main role of Nora. Then a year later, you had a really long phone conversation with her that led to her being cast. Can you talk a little about what changed within that year? What led to her getting the part?

It really had to do with my own aging, because basically, when that event that was in between my childhood sweetheart and my husband happened, that really sparked the beginning of this movie, I was 29. I thought being 29 was really important, because when you’re 29, you think … I don’t know. How old are you?

25.

Okay. Okay. Maybe you don’t know, but you think that being 29, you’re almost 30. You’re not 30 yet, so you think that it’s important. You’re like, “Wow. I’m 29. I’m at the end of 20s. I’m basically going to be old tomorrow.” There’s kind of a sense of it where you think that 29 is a significant age. But then, you turn 30 and 31, and then you’re like, “It doesn’t matter.” You’re just like, “That’s not that significant.”

And actually, maybe there’s something interesting about an older Nora, a Nora who is deep in her 30s. It really was that. Initially, I thought that Greta was not the right age for it. Then, I eventually changed my mind on that, because I personally got older, and I was like, “Oh, actually, that is really interesting, maybe, and maybe I do want to depict somebody who is in their 30s instead of somebody who is in their 20s.” That’s why it made me go, “Yeah.” And Greta’s such a great actress, so I thought maybe she would be the perfect person for it.

That makes sense. So we’ve got time for one more question. This is a film that really takes advantage of quiet stretches where no one says anything, which I really liked. But can you talk a little bit about how much of those pauses were part of the script from the beginning, and how much came about organically through filming or the acting?

I write in all my pauses and all my silences, and pauses and silences are different. Silences are long and prolonged, and pauses are just time that it takes for a character to think before they come up with a response.

I write all of them, but of course, I think the length of the silences, that’s a musical thing. It’s like music. It’s something that either I’m choreographing or the actors are doing. Then of course, if I feel like it’s too long or too short, I think that I would go and I would calibrate like, “I think, yes, take an extra beat there before we continue.”

Yeah, that’s got to be an interesting balance to try to find.

Of course. And it’s subjective. It’s not something that you can time. You have to feel it. It’s a feeling thing.

“Past Lives” is now available in select theaters.