‘Yesterday‘ is a kick to the gut of anyone who has gone out and chased a dream.
It displayed the stark reality of a person who has spent most of their life chasing after an image in their head to realize it was not ‘all that’.
Basically, the film revolves around the life of a struggling musician, named Jack, who has chased the dream of making it big for almost 20 years. Instead, he is stuck playing in small cafes, pubs, and birthday parties with indifferent children. He is then miraculously given an opportunity by the universe with a 12-second black out and a bus accident.
‘The Beatles’ seem to never have become that famous 60’s band. In this new timeline, Jack seems to be the only human to remember all the hits the band created. So does he take this opportunity?
The film hits home to many who are waiting for an opportunity, any opportunity. Would I take it? No matter the costs? Even if it made me feel like a fraud?
As the film progresses we see how, at times, the image we create in our heads is far from the reality of that dream. This brings our protagonist to another hard choice, do I keep my personal values or do I conform to the demands of this new world?
Nobody said attaining your dreams was easy, but nobody said losing yourself in the process was a requirement.
The film is discouraging but beautiful. It magnifies the thoughts of everyone with ideals and the hard choices these bring. The film also steers our attention to roads we may have refused to take or even considered, blinding ourselves with a reality we ‘thought’ was perfection.
Ultimately, the film ends with Jack realizing that all he really needed was LOVE. Something he probably felt he did not deserve until he has proven himself to the world.
*Spoiler! This film has already been out since June 2019. So go and watch it! *
In essence, the film ended with a man who finally knew what his purpose was after 20 years of chasing after dust.
Which begs the question, are we chasing after dust? Are we blinded to what we truly need, to our real purpose?
Many of us, given the opportunity, will go after our dreams. But do we really have to face life altering accidents or crushing heart breaks before we realize that all of this was basically dust?
In terms of this film, all those years, disappointments, and pain were worth it. Jack thought he didn’t deserve anything else but all the hard work that he put into his art. He held an image of himself that further pushed him down a rabbit hole to the point he decided to give up. He just didn’t seem to cut it. Then a 12-second black-out changed everything.
He got everything he worked for, but lost the one thing he didn’t think truly mattered. He became the man he always thought he would be but lost the person he knew he was.
Jack could have steered clear from all of that if he truly understood himself.
Looking in the mirror with eyes of sheer honestly is not easy, but it could have saved him all those years. Regardless, all that pain made him into the person he was meant to be, living in a new world he thought he could only imagine.
Like Jack, we all have our personal journey. We are still figuring our lives out . We need to learn to truly see who we are in the mirror, and learn to stand when we fall, or get hit by a bus.
This pandemic may be that bus. Where you are right now may be that 12-second black out that would open-up opportunities.
It’s never too late to take a good, hard look in the mirror. It’s normal to take wrong turns, but it’s never too late to turn back and start over too.
Yesterday may seem so far away but nothing will happen if we keep pinning for the past. We have today.
Disclaimer: The above post holds no affiliation to the film in any manner.
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“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
― C.S. Lewis
Busyzi 