Past Lives12A

Directed by Celine Song | South Korea/USA | 2023 | 1h 46m | Korean w/ English subtitles | Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah, Leem Seung-min

Inseparable childhood friends Nora and Hae Sun are wrest apart when Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later they are reunited in New York for one week. During this time, they come face to face with their shared history and the fateful decisions of their lives. This outstanding debut feature by Celine Song is a beautifully acted and deeply romantic modern love story that embraces destiny, nostalgia, and the immigrant experience. Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards, including Best Original Screenplay.

Reviews

‘A transcendent debut for South Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song, this romantic drama is a masterclass in slow, simmering storytelling. It will stay with you, maybe even into your next life.’
★★★★★
Nick De Semlyen, Empire Magazine

‘This heart-meltingly romantic and sad movie from Korean-Canadian dramatist and film-maker Celine Song left me wrung out and empty and weirdly euphoric…It’s a must-see.’
★★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Past Lives between September 22, 2023 and January 27, 2024.

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What else is on?

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20:15

The Secret Agent 15
2h 41m | Portuguese w/ English subtitles
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Sunday 15th March

14:30

Cléo from 5 to 7 PG
1h 31m | French w/ English subtitles
While awaiting life-changing medical results, a pop singer wanders Paris, encountering strangers and herself anew. Agnès Varda’s intimate New Wave classic captures fleeting moments, female subjectivity, and 1960s Paris, lifted by Michel Legrand’s unforgettable music.

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16:45

The Secret Agent 15
2h 41m | Portuguese w/ English subtitles
Carnival, communal resistance, political tensions, and a man's missing leg collide in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s slow-burning 1970s political thriller. The Oscar-nominated Wagner Moura stars in this gripping examination of Brazil’s turbulent past.

Book here

20:15

“Wuthering Heights” 15
2h 16m
In 18th-century Yorkshire, brooding outsider Heathcliff falls for Catherine, the daughter of his master, igniting a destructive love story of obsession. Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie star in Emerald Fennell’s (Saltburn) sensual adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!