Q&A: Critics' Choice

Critics’ Choice Before Celine Song was the buzziest filmmaker on the planet, she was an arty kid from Unionville. Here, she talks about what inspired her indie superhit, Past Lives

- DANIEL REALE-CHIN

Past Lives is your first feature film, and it's already a critical darling and front runner for best movie of the year. How does that feel?

Right now, all I can think about is taking this one step at a time. We just had the North American release, but it's an independent film with a small budget, so the fact that it's getting any kind of attention is such an amazing thing.

You've written for both the stage and TV. Is writing a movie screenplay any different?

Fundamentally, no. It's all about story and character: how to put a scene together and how to push the narrative forward. In theatre, time and space are not literal-it's a live performance of language and emotion. TV writing comes with the pressure of needing the art to succeed in serial form. I find that there's a bit more freedom in writing for film, but ultimately, audiences show up for the story.

What made cinema the right medium for Past Lives?