Ian Wang Critiques 'Past Lives' and East Asian Diaspora Cinema's Likeability Problem

In an opinion piece for ArtReview, writer Ian Wang argues that the acclaimed film 'Past Lives' (2023) exemplifies a shallow trend in East Asian diaspora cinema, where characters are rendered overly likeable and morally frictionless. Wang contends that director Celine Song's semi-autobiographical story, about Nora and Hae Sung reconnecting after 24 years, represses ugly emotions like selfishness, lust, and jealousy in favor of comforting resolutions. He notes that the film's East Asian protagonists lack interiority: Hae Sung's motivations remain opaque beyond longing, while Nora is reduced to a sounding board for male neuroses. Wang contrasts this with the white character Arthur, who displays believable racialized self-pity. He identifies a broader pattern in recent diaspora films—including 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022), 'Minari' (2020), and 'After Yang' (2021)—where characters are virtuous, diligent, and sympathetic, avoiding moral ambiguity. Wang praises alternative films like 'Return to Seoul' (2022) and 'Actual People' (2021) for embracing complexity. He concludes that until diaspora cinema captures both ugliness and beauty, its promised golden age will remain unrealized. Ian Wang is a London-based writer published in the Baffler, Sight & Sound, and the New York Times.