‘It’s Meant to Be a Knife’

When Greta Lee first read Celine Song‘s screenplay for “Past Lives,” she had an instant, visceral reaction to the ending.

“I felt ill,” Lee recalls. “I was destroyed. And then I was trying to figure out how to keep reading while being blinded by my own tears.”

It’s a response that would go on to be shared by many as the movie began shattering audiences last January at the Sundance Film Festival. The tears continued to flow as A24 released the film in theaters in June, where it went on to gross $21 million domestically on a budget estimated at $12 million. While that’s impressive for an independent film from a first-time filmmaker without marquee names, the impact of “Past Lives” cannot be measured merely by box office. Nor is it reflected by the strong critical and awards showing, which includes a best feature trophy from the Gotham Awards, countless top 10 lists and five nominations from both the Golden Globes and Spirit Awards.

The real testament to the film’s power becomes apparent when people speak about the movie. That can be to one another — it’s rare for the title to come up in conversation and not elicit an immediate response. But it happens to the filmmakers and actors, as well. As Song  jokes, “I think I’m the filmmaker who knows the most about strangers’ unrequited loves and childhood sweethearts.”

For Lee, it happens everywhere — at the grocery store or the gas station or in the pickup line at her kids’ school. “What’s so incredible is the sheer diversity of the people I meet,” Lee notes. “People from all over the world share their stories with me.” And it’s not just those pining over a long-lost love. Lee recalls the older couple who told her the film reinvigorated their vows to each other. And the young woman who said she’d never been in love before — and the film made her excited to experience it for the first time.