"Past Lives" is polyamory by another name... (Patreon)

The Oscars are next week, and a polyamorous film is nominated for Best Picture.

Technically, Past Lives is a very polyamorous coded film, but, hear me out. Our protagonist explores concurrent love with mutual consent, shares how she's validated by different relationships in very different ways, and the metamours even meet and build their own connection with each other. Let's explore all the ways I think Past Lives is a not-so-secret example of polyamorous love on screen.

Timecode:

• 0.00 - Intro
• 1.52 - Synopsis
• 06.08 - Visual metaphor (cinematic language, subtext, how the film speaks when no one is talking)
• 12.22 - Multiple selves (In-Yun and reincarnated love; holding multiple truths at the same time, and multiple loves that are not contradictory nor in competition with each other)
• 14.00 - Monogamous normativity (the cultural relativity of relationship structures, the ways we may justify norms without curiosity)
• 15.00 - Metamour relationship (navigating a dynamic without social scripts, independently exploring a connection with the partner of your partner)
• 17.15 - When monogamy breaks your heart (returning to compulsory monogamy out of fear; comforting a partner during their heartbreak; challenging the supposed inevitability of that grief)
• 19.00 - Outro

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Captions auto generated by Patreon; Transcript at the bottom of this post via Otter AI

Warmly,
Morgan