Yesterday
Our greatest success is the happiness in our hearts
Our campaign with Petron in the Philippine Superliga is entering its crucial stretch and every game is now very important in our bid to defend our All-Filipino title.
That’s why I made it a point to watch a movie. I wanted to relax and unwind to gain a semblance of balance as I prepare for the tough grind ahead.
Anyway, in my previous column, I discussed a local movie and how hard it was to choose between two important things that would dictate our future — love and career.
In the Hello, Love, Goodbye, we got to know about a girl who has been working very hard to make ends meet for her family, but suddenly finding herself torn between staying with the one she loves and flying to Canada for greener pasture.
This movie featuring Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards really touched my heart.
Filipinos like us are known to be very family-oriented. We would do everything for our family — even if it means sacrificing our own happiness.
This week, I watched movie again.
Whenever I watch movie, I make sure to see the trailer and check out a little bit of the plot. With this, I would get an idea on what the movie is all about and what to expect the moment I step into the cinema.
But in Yesterday, it was completely different.
I was totally clueless about the story.
At first, I was surprised when they started playing songs of “The Beatles.” I thought it was a complete musical, similar to the Bohemian Rhapsody. So I was prepared to see a lot of singing and dancing as the movie progresses. I was wrong.
The first part was very light. It was like watching a romance-comedy where two people met in an unexpected and somehow funny circumstance. Well for me it was okay — I love romance-comedy movies, anyway.
But as the movie goes on, I realized that it has a plot that is far deeper than the wading capacity of the Yellow Submarine or the way of thinking of Eleanor Rigby. It talks about a man who shot to stardom, but couldn’t live in a world of lies and deception.
Jack is a struggling singer and songwriter. But his childhood friend, Ellie, has been encouraging him not to give up on his dream of making it big.
After Jack figured in a vehicular accident, he sang one of the Beatles’ greatest hits in Yesterday to his friends and family. He was shocked to find out that nobody remembers the song anymore. Everybody was totally clueless on what the song was all about and the musical geniuses behind it.
He went online to find an answer in this really crazy situation. He keyed in “The Beatles” in the search engine, but the results yielded a specie of bug. Then he searched for Coke, cigarette and Harry Potter, but the results were really different.
That’s where the movie became really interesting.
I started asking myself: If the greatest band of all time was reduced into a mere bug, what if time comes that people also no longer recognize you? I think it’s going to be crazy.
He realized that for him to be happy, he must clear his conscience and reveal the truth.
But Jack — the frustrated singer — didn’t quit. He continued his work and made songs out of his recollection of the “The Beatles.” And since nobody remembers the band anyway, he wrote and released their songs as if it is his own work of art.
It became Jack’s ticket to fame. No less than the prolific Ed Sheeran noticed his potential and rewarded him everything a musical artist has been dreaming of, including a major concert at the 90,000-seater Wembley Stadium.
Still, there’s one thing missing — love.
Amid the fame and fortune, Jack’s relationship with Ellie suffered. It greatly deteriorated and before he knew it, it was already too late.
Then, he realized that he couldn’t live in a world of lies. He realized that for him to be happy, he must clear his conscience and reveal the truth. After all, no amount of fame or fortune can match the freedom that truth would bring, not just to him but for the love of his life as well.
This realization really pinched my heart.
Yes, there’s fame, fortune and endless opportunities before you, but at the end of the day, the secret to happiness, according to John Lennon, is to never be afraid of telling the truth and expressing to your love how dear she is to you.
They say that success leads to happiness.
But in Yesterday, it’s the other way around.
Our greatest success is the happiness in our hearts.