Yesterday vs. Blinded By the Light

Let's talk about two movies that featured a brown British main character and his connection to two very legendary musical figures. Both of these movies are movies I probably wouldn't normally see, but because it highlights a person of color I feel like it would add a different perspective. I find the timing interesting for both of these films and I was curious how they both compare to each other. I will preface that both films are very important to the global filmography because representation matters!


Yesterday follows Jack Malik, an aspiring musician, who struggles to find recognition for his art. After a car accident, the world shifts and forgets its global phenomenons The Beatles, Harry Potter, and many other notable pop culture icons. Of course, the story mainly focuses on the impact of The Beatles. I mean it's in the title. Jack finds instant fame as he performs very notable tracks by the band as the world has never heard the songs before.

For me, the movie spotlights the importance of musical history and appreciation. It ocassionally shows the dark side of fame, which seems to be some sort of requirement for musician development movies. We see all of this through Jack's eyes; the good and the bad.

I enjoyed the character development, especially with Jack's family, friends, and love interest. The performances were a nice emotional touch for our characters and gave a nice recreation of Beatlemania through modern eyes. The story has some good humor as well especially with some fo the cameos, mainly from Ed Sheeran.



Blinded by the Light follows British-Pakistani Javed who is trying to live his life with his family in England and explore his passion for writing. His ambition to get his voice heard grows after his teacher encourages him to enter a contest and more importantly a friend introduces him to "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen. His world drasticly shifts as Springsteen's lyrics connect to his struggle with identity and society's issues with race.

I'm not a big Springsteen fan, so my motive for watching this was to see if there was some similarities to Yesterday's story. Not necessarily people forgetting but possibly having two aspiring musicians as main characters. Obviously, that isn't the case as this story is inspired by the real person named Javed who was changed by Springsteen's lyrics.

The thing I really appreciated about this film was how relatable the story is to present day. Yes, it's a sad truth that nearly everyone has an immigration acceptance problem. Sorry, America, you're not the only racially problematic country in this world. Just watch Hate Thy Neighbor and you can still see Javed's struggle still thriving decades later. There's also the battle of dual identity: wanting to take on or assimilate to one culture while still honoring your family's heritage. The best way Javed was able to describe this struggle was Springsteen's music.

One unifying factor between these movies is the power of music. Whether it's inspiration, emotional expression, or nostalgia, music is an important part in society. Somtimes we forget its significance or that past music can still be relevant to today's harships. These two movies express these ideas in different ways and I feel that they are both effective.

Initially, I was more drawn to Yesterday as I appreciated the humor and the concept of appreciating and celebrating the past. But the more I write, I'm starting to lean towards the more personal message of Blinded by the Light, despite not being a Springsteen fan. Either way, both offer a different experience that both encourage self reflection and perhaps trigger a more emotional nostalgic feeling.