**Warning slight spoilers ahead **

The hype behind Past Lives was certainly not lost on me as an A24 fan I was ready for a change of pace and enjoy a love story from a studio who hasn't disappointed in it's current catalogs.

A sweet start with an  innocent childhood crush   that's nothing short of a nostalgia bomb . The second act does linger and drag a bit  but reality isn't always exciting. We see a relationship that is  a very real portrait of  young love that just never had a chance.  Wrong time , wrong place .

The film has a slow build up to the reunion that feels more of a tease that doesn't fulfill what I expected. The film feels a bit cumbersome trying to force closure  at the end. The  film  left me wanting a bit more fight from the female protagonist's husband. His attitude to everything going on, is to question if  his marriage is based on love or simply chance.   He acts as if  almost hoping his wife would leave him. I'm all for romance and nostalgia playing itself out in front of us  but, you got to believe in your relationship a lot more than it being a product of circumstance. A great realistic look at young love and that thought of , what would have happened if things were different?
A film that will have  the viewer remembering their own "could of been" romance and remind you that,  we were all young once. The film had the potential for a great romance playing out in front of us to gush over , but it fell short grounding it so much in reality that it leaves the viewer asking the same question , " What could of been of "Past Lives?" 

Puppy love and nostalgia keeps the heart wanting to see what if ?  but it still didn't deliver that much  needed climax, by the end  it simply leaves you wanting  more.

  ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5