Yesterday (2019) directed by Danny Boyle
Viewed on July 4, 2019
Synopsis:
Jack Malik is an unsuccessful, would-be musician, managed by Ellie Appleton, a schoolteacher in her real life. Jack is on the verge of quitting, but Ellie (who has believed in him since she first heard him perform in grade school) won't give up on him. Biking home, Jack is hit by a truck and blacks out briefly. During just that moment, the entire world goes black. After he awakens in the hospital, he soon finds out that he is apparently the only person in the world who remembers the Beatles. He reconstructs their songs from memory, and soon attracts the attention of a record producer, and then Ed Sheeran (playing himself.) As he becomes famous as the world's greatest songwriter, he starts to grow apart from Ellie. At the climax of the film, he reveals his love for Ellie to the entire world, and also that he didn't write any of the songs.
Commentary:
(Spoilers ahead.) Other than its gimmick (and it's a great gimmick), this is a standard, well-done romantic comedy, deftly delaying the inevitable moment when the two leads, who have clearly loved each other for 10 years, finally get to the clinch. Along the way, the film builds on its premise with some delightful surprises. One involves a mysterious Russian man who, it appears, is disturbed that Jack is performing and taking credit for the songs of the Beatles. When he and another woman finally confront Jack, it's actually to thank him for bringing the music back to the world. Another is his visit to an elderly John Lennon who, in this universe, has lived a quiet and happy life with the love of his life.
This is a delightful and charming film.
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