User reviews

As a South African, this is the first time I've seen any media portray the HIV/Aids crises in our country in a way that makes it real, without political agenda or moralizing the issue. For that I commend the film. What also impressed me was the film's simplicity and the fact that it was unpredictable in its character portrayal.Cinematographically, it is definitely one of the best movies ever to have come from our shores. Then there is the brilliant acting by Khumalo. The film is not without fault, but it shows that our film industry is capable of producing quality films. Just a pity that most South African audiences do not give the local industry the support it needs.

An achingly beautiful film that is truly sublime in its simplicity. Leleti Khumalo, who plays "Yesterday", is utter enveloping to watch as she juggles her relationship with her daughter Beauty, her chores that are a matter of survival in the Zulu village, and her secret of a virus that will "stop her from living." Her strength and warmth in her vision of people even clouds her judgement when it comes to her relationship with her husband who works far away in Johannesburg. When the doctor at the clinic asks her how she got named "Yesterday," she answers: "It was my father. He always thought yesterday was better than today or tomorrow. But that was a long time ago."

As an American student, my understanding of HIV/AIDS is usually done by research and books from class. This movie so strongly corresponds to much of the information given in books like "African Feminism" and "Black Death: AIDS in Africa" to name a few. The depiction of Yesterday's grief and acceptance, in addition to her husband's denial, rings true and brings tears to your eyes. One interesting point is the fact that HIV is not even mentioned until half way through the movie, even then it is called 'the virus.' This could mimic the attitude of silence by Africans on the issue. Other fine points about this film include the fact that is truly one story. Yesterday is not then compared to thousands of other dying women, although we know that this is the case. We see the world through her eyes and in her small village. While the pacing sometimes may drag, it is a spectacular film spoken in the beautiful Zulu language. I would definitely recommend it and see it more than once.

I will be candid and divulge my biases. I am a person with AIDS and cancer. I am 55 years old. I have seen most of the AIDS movies, made for better or worse over the years. I have no particular associations with Africa. A rare 10 vote goes to this film because it is, in its absolute simplicity, a perfect primer on the effects of AIDS on plain and simple lives. There are no greeting card sunsets. There are no weepy hand-holding scenes between the rich parent/spouse/sibling and "the victim" on the lawn of a palatial estate in America. There is exhausting repetition of the details of hard lives. There is the mean ignorance of people who see themselves as unaffected and superior. There is the sudden dependence of the counter dependent and unfaithful husband. There is the forgiveness by the infected wife, who already has too much to bear as an impoverished woman and mother. There is her faith, her dedication, her love to the end in a relationship that has brought her own early death. And there is the stark and indifferent beauty of Africa itself, photographed by a lover's eye. There are no surprises here for anyone, unless he has lived with his head up his Developed-World assets. There is just a map to better understanding of a largely shared human condition.

I saw this movie on a plane from Johannesburg to New York. I found it riveting and intensely sad. The acting was superb and I felt the film really captured the tragedy that is the SA AIDS epidemic today. The music added to the poignancy of the story. I thought the film really brought home the SA situation in a way that no newspaper or TV documentary every could or ever has. I sobbed through this movie at times as the portrayal was so real, and the director managed to capture village life so excellently. Kudos to the writer, producer and the actors for creating a superb film - a real feather in the cap of the SA film world. This is a world class film that everyone should see!

Hey

I have read all the comments that were left about "Yesterday",and even though a lot of the thoughts were negative,let me just clear something up. I am a South African,born and raised,and currently living in the U.S.A.I have met a lot of Americans who are so naive about the conditions in South-Africa and Africa in general. It has been such an honor and shock for something from south Africa to be nominated for an Oscar and almost brought a lot of Africans together.Sure we did not win,but the point was clearly to point out what is really going on.and even though it is sad to admit but it is the truth.I read a comment where someone said that the characters were too "sainty" etc,but the truth is,that is rural life.They are naive and choose not to believe the doom of Aids. All we can hope for is that things get better and people get more educated as to the truth(although it might be difficult considering the fact that half the population does not finish high school and cannot read or write,how would they understand that a little virus in your bloodstream kills you???)

Well, really just about living in Rural South Africa. Living in south Africa the HIV/AIDS pandemic (and governments response to it), can make one feel very depressed about the where South Africa is going. But this movie is quite uplifting. Yesterday faces a number of hardships already (she lives in relative poverty, separated from husband for most of year, no education), but she when she comes across another, HIV/AIDS, she faces it head on. She is determined to that her daughter will get an education. Because she has this to fight for, she stays positive. When the doctor comments on how well she is doing, she comments it is her mind that is strong, not her body. Mental strength is something needed all round SA in fighting the Pandemic. From patients, but also their communities, so that HIV positive people will find support rather than stigmatization.

A lingering sideways tracking shot across a bare expanse of burnt, tussocky grass towards distant, shadowy mountains takes us into the first moments of Yesterday, the first film ever made in isiZulu. The quality of the film is apparent at once. The D.O.P. has a real aesthetic eye, and this opening shot, a beautifully judged and mesmerising piece of photography – accompanied by the inventive and idiosyncratic music of Madala Kunane, whose range of styles throughout the film is impressive – announces a film of strong images and expert direction (Director, Darrell Roodt). The shot comes to rest on the figures of two young Zulu girls, a mother and a daughter, as they amble slowly up a tortuously long road towards an unknown destination. The daughter asks simple questions - the type that make youth appear so endearingly innocent: "why am I not a bird? Then I could fly where we're going." It is a moment of beautiful, unforced poetry (the sort that self-conscious poets might do well to observe) and sets the tone for the film that is to come. Yesterday concerns one of the most pressing issues in Africa today, the spread of AIDS, which has in recent years reached epidemic proportions. From that premise, it soon becomes clear where the two travellers are headed: the nearest doctor. This trip is the beginning of a terrible descent – the progenitor of chain of scarifying revelations, the first of which is that the young mother – the title character, Yesterday (played sensitively by Leleti Khumbalo, ideally sympathetic casting with her angelic features) – is diagnosed with AIDS. As the film proceeds we witness how Yesterday deals with the horrifying burden of sickness in a society that is still largely ignorant of the causes of disease, and highly suspicious of those who succumb to it; and in a country whose government offers no real material or moral help for such extremity. Yesterday is an examination of life under the tyranny of the incurable. Nevertheless, the film eschews any overtly political comment (though there are a couple of scenes that tempt us to draw our own conclusions) and remains a purely personal story of a young woman's fight against the invincible. Yesterday is a young mother living in a small African village, trying to raise her daughter and give her the education that she herself was denied. She knows nothing of AIDS when the horror of knowledge is thrust upon her. But her natural perspicacity allows her to see clearly into the life of things, and as she faces the inevitability of premature death, she draws strength from within herself – though it is clear that Yesterday herself is little removed from the youthful innocence of her own daughter when she becomes inheritrix to the worst of the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. All that remains for her to do is try to shield her daughter from them. Events conspire against her, yet bolster her at the same time. A terrifying confrontation with her husband (a brilliant cameo, superbly played by Kenneth Khambula), the man who gave her AIDS, leads to a heart-rending reconcilement. Ostracism by her fellow villagers – who imagine the disease to be the result of some moral peccadillo – leaves her to fight the disease alone; but this itself leads to friendship with the village's rationally-minded and sympathetic schoolteacher (played by Harriet Lenabe). Death gives her a determination to live. In every case the bad engenders some good. In charting the effects of AIDS on the person and personality of this young woman (and, frighteningly graphically, in her husband) we see the human condition reach both its nadir and its zenith. The disease is at once catastrophically demoralising and vigorously ennobling. Yesterday's courage in the face of irremediable adversity is tearfully potent. She is a heroine in the true sense of performing heroic actions against the odds. Illness forces her to strength, fear engenders courage, and in the darkest oppression her spirit seems to soar. Yet the film never descends into self-pity. Rather, it makes clear that AIDS is simply a part of life in Africa – something that some people, at some time, will just have to deal with. Pity exists in that very coldness. The relationship which grows up between Yesterday and the teacher becomes the most important aspect of the film, because the teacher is in effect the only person in the district who understands what AIDS is; and because of that understanding, she able to evince compassion. Here, perhaps, is the film's agenda, its philosophical crux: a subtle plea for the dissemination of education and greater awareness in Africa, since only understanding can engender reason and humanity. It is a point that is not pushed, nor does it need to be, it speaks so eloquently for itself. As a moral fable, Yesterday is wonderfully judged. The decline of Yesterday's physical health becomes the ascension of her mental courage, and the strength of character she displays by the end of the film allows one to believe that the human being can rise above its own condition when it needs to. But the film does not stray into the cheapness of tearjerking. It remains firm, stark and moving in its own integrity.

Filmed on a microbudget, Yesterday relies on the potency of its own sombre story to push it forward, the stark beauty of its scenery, and the powerful performances of its cast. Shot with an unerring eye for detail and burgeoning with picturesque photography, it is surely one of the most profound and interesting films to be released this season. Yesterday is playing at cinemas nationwide.

I must admit, I am not a very emotional person when it comes to movies but this particular movie reduced me to tears very soon. I suppose that this ale is very real to me, and it is a natural occurrence where I come from but I still cannot come to terms with the AIDS disease. It is a weak virus but the effects are not; so many children are orphaned every day because of it and the full amounts are still not known. I hope that this beautiful film will raise the awareness of this disease and that everyone will sit up and take notice. This movie, I feel, has portrayed a very real side to the AIDS epidemic and I hope that it will bring both clarity and the urge to help to all who watch it. I congratulate Darrel Roodt on his directing and Leleti Khumalo for her awesome performance.

"Yesterday" as a movie, is hard to rate. The cinematography is excellent and deserves a 9/10. The story is gritty and real and does not compromise. But the translation of the story to the screen through the actors did not match the camera work.

As a person who was born and raised in Central Africa, I appreciated the authenticity of the film's look and the honest depiction of daily life for the Zulu. But this and the camera work are not enough to recommend the average viewer should see this film. It takes an appreciation of true cinema and not just a love of movies to see the purpose and strength of "Yesterday".

Unlike the 1980 film "The Gods Must be Crazy", which was a comic look at one African culture encountering modern technology, "Yesterday" has no intention of appealing to any crossover audience. The movie simply is not fit for the common western mind - and I doubt it was intended for the western mind. The scenes are long and slow, the editing is not paced for a 60mph+ instant gratification world. The dialog is not cleaver or witty, it is real. Movies about health crises do not make the best entertainment and this movie is not entertainment, it is education.

This movie is best viewed by those who know, appreciate and love the way of life and the culture in sub-Sarah Africa. If you lack a broad enough world-view to understand other cultures, especially African cultures, should skip this film. Do not waste you time with it. Go see "Talladega Nights" or "Larry the Cable Guy" instead for your cross culture viewing.

I give it a 4 for most who might want to see the movie but have no accurate understanding of African cultures. For the viewers with an appreciation for films about the human experience anywhere in the world, I would give it a 7.

YESTERDAY is a film that settles into your heart to remind us how treasureable life is. Few films made with such utter simplicity of focus have addressed a world crisis issue in the form of one couple than this and for that reason alone this film should be widely seen. But there are many other reasons to pay attention to this South African movie.

Yesterday (Leleti Khumalo) is an eloquently beautiful Zulu woman who discovers she has been infected with HIV from her coal miner husband (Kenneth Khambula). She confronts him with that fact and his response is embarrassed rage and physical abuse. Yesterday is concerned that her daughter live to attend school and have a chance at a better life. She is befriended by the school teacher (Harriet Lenabe) and by the doctor in whom she confides (Camilla Walker). Growing ill from AIDS, Yesterday's husband returns home and seeks Yesterday's succor and forgiveness on his deathbed. The power of Yesterday's spirit only grows stronger with every sad reality of her life: she is determined to stay alive until her daughter is safely in school and the future that transition promises.

Each of these actors provide astonishing performances, so delicately nuanced that they are able to pry open the heart. The majestically beautiful scenery of South Africa, with its mist-clothed mountains and far reaching stretches of horizons, plays an important role in this story: nature remains the guardian of mortals. Director and writer Darrell Roodt has a little masterpiece of a film here and one that deserves all of our attention. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp

In "Yesterday," South African writer/director Darrell Roodt illustrates the crises of AIDS, health care in the third world, the hope of education and the role of women in Africa with vivid visuals and a simple story.

While some characters are drawn in the script as too nice to be believable --in moving but restrained acting the titular mother is too saintly, the fluent Zulu speaking white public health doctor she finally reaches after four days of waiting shows no strains for the demands on her time, the school teacher who literally suddenly appears and befriends her is too helpful -- this quiet story poignantly communicates a lot of information and humanizes statistics.

The opening shots emphasize the vastness of distances in rural Africa as a prime impediment to the delivery of modern heath care -- even for those determined women who try to seek it for the benefit of their children. The camera is a passive observer of the personal and social details of the mother's life with her treasured young daughter "Beauty," even as it is substantially into the film before we get insights into her seemingly superhuman strengths and how she came to be so independent, with very brief flashbacks.

We get a matter-of-fact view of the arduousness of subsistence living village life--gathering water, food and laundry-- and the down side of "it takes a village" as the ignorance, fear and gossip are even more powerful than in urban "Philadelphia." One weakness in the film, though, is not identifying if it is happening now as it's hard to believe South Africans, urban and rural, are still this naive about AIDS, though the recent "Cape of Good Hope" also showed South Africans still insisting that AIDS was a foreigners' disease. Similarly, there are interstitial labels of seasons to show time passing, but what happens seems too concentrated than can really happen in a single year, so may be metaphorical.

The film takes a jarring turn to another layer of social issues when the mother, probably uniquely in her community, concedes to the doctor's insistence to confront her miner husband in the city about their condition, a request that seems simplistically basic to the doctor but the wife has to surmount enormous odds to accomplish. Even simple medical instructions are mountains to climb. We get a graphic impression of the difficulties of the husband's life and their relationship, even as over time it changes under the overwhelming pressures of reality.

The cinematography of rural to urban South Africa geography, from endless horizon to city buses, is stunning.

The songs by Mpahleni Latozi, performed by Madosini, are particularly evocative.

The film is inevitably a tear-jerker, but not a sentimental one. One can't help but lose it when the wife and mother finally breaks down and cries -- before picking herself and doing what needs to be done.

I viewed the film on PBS TV and the concluding panel discussion by experts was way too boring to sit through compared to the visceral impact of the film.

I agree with the positive reviews I've read on IMDb but disagree with the R rating placed on this film in the U.S. The description of pervasive violence is over- stated and the single brutal scene was handled with sensitivity. I think the M rating I've seen used in other countries to describe this film is more appropriate.

With great difficulty, I was able to find the artist who performed the haunting theme to Yesterday. Madala Kunene who is called "the king of Zulu guitar" performed the title song for the Oscar-nominated film, Yesterday. I found more of his songs at Calabash Music. The movie soundtrack with the other performers may not yet exist.

"Yesterday" is a very heartbreaking film. After all, it's about a woman infected with HIV and it's set in a land where the infection rates are about the highest in the world. What's not to be depressed about as you watch this film?! And, not surprisingly, my family did NOT want to watch this film with me. My advice is to watch this film but be sure to have some Kleenex nearby...you'll likely need it.

The film begins with a Zulu woman (Yesterday, played by Leleti Khumalo) walking several hours with her young daughter, Beauty. Yesterday has a persistent cough and she's walking all this distance to see a doctor. Yet, time and again, the lines are too long and she cannot get to see someone. Finally, her friend has seen enough--and she gives Yesterday money to take a bus to the clinic. She soon learns that she's HIV positive--and showing symptoms of AIDS. What's to become of her or her young daughter or her husband who is living and working in Johannesburg*?

Clearly the star of this film is Khumalo--who did a great job in playing Yesterday. She was very realistic and determined--very decent but not ridiculously saintly, either. Also, while he was, at times, reprehensible as a character, Kenneth Khambula was amazing as her husband--showing an amazing range of emotions and playing a person with later stage AIDS quite convincingly. As for the direction, it was superb--with a deliberate but not too slow pace throughout. In fact, although the film was quite depressing, there isn't anything to really complain about here--as the film was brutally honest but still compelling and quite watchable. Because of all this, I am not surprised that it was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar (losing to "The Sea Inside"). Sadly, however, it's a story that is all too familiar in South Africa because there are many, many women like Yesterday doing what they can to cope with the illness.

*I am no expert on South Africa, though I have been there. Apparently for several generations, it's been common for men around southern Africa to leave their homes and families to work in the mines. Unforutnately, these men often have other wives or girlfriends or prostitutes on the side--leading, in part, to such a HUGE HIV rate (up to about 20% according to many estimates). Other factors, such as some government officials denying that there is a problem haven't helped, either.

I was struck by the simplicity and beauty of the film. It also showed the stark poverty of the people. At the same time, it show how rich the relationship was between Yesterday, her daughter Beauty and the teacher. The HIV virus was portrayed with realism and the film portrayed the main character's strength and dignity in the face of discovering her illness and the fact that her husband gave it to her. She also had the dignity and strength to take care of him to his death while caring for her daughter, dealing with her illness and beating back the prejudices and fears of other villagers. It was thoughtful and haunting and made me feel her pain and sorrow. It was excellent.

I happened to watch this film on HBO late last night. I missed the first ten minutes of the film, but that did not diminish the impact that this film has made on me! I was drawn to the film because I recognized the starring actress as being in Serafina. I saw Serafina in play form and on film,and was blown away by the actress playing Serafina. As I write my comments about Yesterday, I do not recall the name of the actress and do not wish to misspell her name,because she is a powerful young actress deserving of being identified by name. This story is so realistic, I could feel the pain and emotional strife caused by this situation. When Yesterday's husband described the predicament he experienced while working underground without the proper facilities to relieve himself, I was there feeling his pain! This film has given me an added resolve to do what I can to help in the struggle to conquer this horrible disease! One cannot watch this excellently made film without shedding a tear. When I began telling my daughter about the film, I was unable to finish without sobbing. She said to me, "Mommy, stop watching these films if they affect you in this way." I don't agree, I think we need to be exposed to sad situations in just this very realistic way.

Beatrice

I really enjoyed this movie, it was a real tear jerker and I don't cry darnet. I was glued to the screen from start to end.

why can't I write what I want about this movie without your stupid suggestions and grammar corrections? You guys ruin everything. Lighten up and let me exercise my right of free speech without your ridiculous censorship.

What if I don't want to write ten stupid lines of text, do yo want my input or what? Thanks for draining every drop of creativity out of my head. Baby goes to sleep.

bye.

The basic story of this movie is simple: an illiterate mother, a Zulu woman named Yesterday, finds that she has a fatal illness. Being aware of the great value of education, she fights a battle to live until her daughter has entered school. Watching the mother - an extraordinary example of strength and grace - confront poverty, despair, prejudice, and a forbidding environment makes this film intriguing and worthwhile.

At the start of the film, we see Yesterday and her daughter walking along a desolate road and come to find they have been walking for two hours to reach a clinic. They wait in line for most of the day only to be turned away and told to return the next week when, again, they are turned away. In the interim we are able to view the hard life lived by Yesterday and her fellow villagers. There is back-breaking work - just getting water is a daily chore - but the women of the village persist in a quiet, good-humored way. There are no men to be seen in the village even though they are most certainly there. This story is about the women of the village and their world which, in this African setting, is separate from the world of men.

When Yesterday finally sees the doctor at the clinic, she is told of her illness and advised to inform her husband who works in a mine in the city. Learning that she has AIDS leads to a series of events that exemplify the strength of this woman.

The language of this film is Zulu, with its beautiful, musical quality, but the dialogue is as sparse as the landscape. Emotions are expressed not in words but in actions and facial expressions. Leleti Khumalo, who plays Yesterday, gives a powerful performance that enables the viewer to feel the strength and willpower of the character. The only problem with Ms. Khumalo is that she is probably too beautiful and unscarred to depict accurately a woman who has led such a hard life. There were a number of close-ups of her hands which are soft with carefully manicured nails - not the hands of the woman we view laboring in her role of mother and wife.

We know from the beginning there will be no happy ending, for this film shows life as it is - not as we would like for it to be. Nonetheless, Yesterday is a quiet, slow-moving treat to the eyes and an inspiring message of love and sacrifice.

I hadn't seen this film until this past weekend and was totally captivated. It is rare that a movie, especially when watching it at home, can make me forget about my surroundings but this one did. I appreciated it's quietude and simplicity which allows the viewer to understand the personal devastation of this illness rather than getting wrapped up in the noisy politics of it all. It was great to see Leleti Khumalo again. I saw her on Broadway years ago, 1988 I believe, in a South African musical called "Sarafina!". She was as luminous then as she is now, but her performances couldn't have been more different. One was energetic and youthful, in "Yesterday" she is dignified, patient, focused and absolutely lovely. This is a movie I will look forward to seeing again.

Yesteday was an impressive movie for me since I have never looked at AIDS in such a near and tangible way.The start point of the movie is a long road in African beautiful deserts where is restricted with barbed wire from the rest of the world. When you see the sky and the earth touch each other as they are ready to press a young slim black woman and her little daughter. Yesterday has a nice innocent face which crystalizes her heartily pain and eagerness to keep on for Beauty very well. The little girl,named Beauty,is the representative of a new African generation,not satisfied with her primitive life, asks about being a bird to fly or having a motorcycle to be speedy and comfortable.That is admirable while Yesterday illiterate is so ambitious for Beauty to start school.It gives you the sense of progress of the continent which always was narrated inferior and savage. Another justification the movie gives for African roughness is the low-level facilities exist.Yesterday and her husband are victims of AIDS because poverty makes them so far from each other that her husband betrays the family for whom day and night he overworks. Yesterday's illness is also distinguished very late and she should make a quarantine for her husband when there is no bed for him in the hospital.However, it sounds people got used to it and even such a terrible disease is faced with deep understanding but coldness. The movie is very female-oriented in a society which looks a masculine one.The most successful and efficient characters are women like Yesterday,the teacher and the doctor. Yesterday is the representative of the traditional society,too. She is given AIDS by her husband, but she bears his kicks and harshness. The movie music which is African well transfers the nature of Africa to the audience. The movie clearly is ordered to inform about AIDS but in an efficient story and setting.