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Celine Song had too much fun as a matchmaker

A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: Everything moves so fast now. We speed through our social media feeds, and our phones are filled with 20-second video clips. Even the pace and dialogue in films can feel rapid-fire.

That's why Celine Song's films feel countercultural. They force the viewer to just slow down and linger in profound moments between characters. Like the power of a long silence or a gaze that says more than dialogue could.

Song is a writer and director who understands that emotional intimacy is just as important as a good story. And that comes through in both her debut feature, Past Lives, and her new film, Materialists, which draws from her short stint as a professional matchmaker.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Rachel Martin is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.