Sharon Van Etten Archives

Full disclosure: the first time I saw the trailer for 'Past Lives' in the theater, I began sobbing uncontrollably. Soundtracked by Cat Power's gorgeous cover of Rihanna's "Stay," I was instantly transfixed by the song's lyrics combined with the film's sumptuous visuals. Not really sure how to feel about itSomething in the way you moveMakes me feel like I can't live without you While the song does not appear in the actual movie, "Stay" perfectly accompanies 'Past Lives,' the first feature film from Korean-Canadian playwright and director Celine Song. It's a story so intensely personal and lived-in, that it doesn't seem possible that it is her first movie. It tells the story of Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) - two childhood friends from South Korea who fell out of touch w...

When the end credits began to roll on its brisk 82-minute running time, I said to my partner how much I enjoyed "How It Ends" and that it reminded me of the glory days of American independent film in the 90s. He laughed and noted that the whole time he was thinking about Richard Linklater's 1990 classic, "Slacker." There is a shared cinematic universe between the two - both features offer a meandering "day in the life" scenario giving the viewer a series of characters who float in and out of the film and give us a handful of perfect moments. While "Slacker" showed us a random day in late 1980s Austin, Texas, this literal doomsday comedy has us on the streets of Los Angeles in the 24 hours before a giant meteor makes contact with Earth and kills us all. Zoe Lister-Jones and her hu...

Tag: Sharon Van Etten

Longing, Loss and ‘Past Lives’ (Review)

Sundance Hit ‘How It Ends’ Brings The Apocalypse Home (Review)