Past Lives
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$06 – 10MM V $11MM
Mythosis universal quests used
2
Audience appeal
~0.20%
Script Score
0.01
Past Lives, released in 2023 is the directorial debut of Celine Song. Nora and Hae Sung reconnect after years of separation and contemplate the nature of their bond. Nora, embodies the spirit of progress and ambition, lives firmly in the present, with clear aspirations and plans for her future. On the other hand, Hae Sung is more anchored and begins to realize that clinging to the past may be futile.
1. The invisible plot structure of Past Lives
1A. The script of Past Lives borrows 95% of its events from 2 mythological tales
Hae Sung’s quest is driven by the desire for finding an elusive person/object. The quest borrows events from the tale of Gilgamesh in Sumerian mythology. Both Gilgamesh & Hae Sung lose the “elixir of life” after finding it.
Nora’s quest is driven by the desire for companionship. The quest borrows events from the tale of Psyche in Greek mythology. Psyche returns to the “monster” that she loves. Nora proclaims Arthur to be her soul-mate and returns to him.
Arthur has no quest.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 583
Tales interweaved
Gilgamesh & Psyche
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Past Lives' plot structure: $06-10MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Past Lives
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Past Lives uses the quests of Expedition & Social Contact.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Nora mirrors the quest of Social Contact. Hae Sung mirrors the quest of Expedition.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Nora borrows 28% of the quest of Social Contact. Hae Sung borrows 20% of the quest of Expedition.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. In Past Lives the quests aren’t interwoven.
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Past Lives
Past Lives’ plot structure reveals the usage of 2 shallow quests that aren’t interwoven.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.01
Audience appeal
~0.20%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Past Lives
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Nora mirrors the universal quest for Social Contact
Nora’s desire for Social Contact stems from the need for companionship. The tale of Psyche from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Social Contact.
Quest 2: Hae Sung mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Hae Sung’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive person/object. The tale of Gilgamesh from Sumerian mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Both the quests in Past Lives lack depth.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The plot structure of Past Lives is a sub set of Mythosis Plot Structure # 583. It interweaves the tales of Gilgamesh & Psyche.
Contact us for Mythosis Plot Structure # 583
Tags: Psyche, Gilgamesh, Social Contact, Expedition, Celine Song, CJ ENM, Killer Films, 2AM, A24, 2023