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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Only Yesterday remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school weepies where the characters make decisions that would drive a normal person to scream at the screen, then yes. Watch it. If you prefer movies where people communicate like adults, you might want to skip this one entirely.
It’s one of those films that feels like it was put through a wringer. The story is a total heart-breaker, though maybe for the wrong reasons. You see, the guy doesn't remember her. He just doesn't. He spends half the movie trying to charm her while she carries the weight of a secret that’s basically eating her alive.
The early scenes in the trenches or around the barracks have this weirdly claustrophobic feel. Everything is stiff, yet oddly electric. There’s a scene where the light catches the dust in the room—a tiny, throwaway detail—that really made me stop and look. It felt like real air.
Margaret Sullavan is doing some heavy lifting here. She has this way of looking at the camera that feels like she’s already tired of the world before the movie even gets going. It’s not flashy, but it’s real.
The way John Boles plays this guy is almost infuriating. He’s so breezy, so utterly convinced of his own charm. It reminded me a bit of the casual detachment you see in Idols of Clay. Sometimes he’s so disconnected from the stakes that the movie shifts from a drama to something bordering on a dark comedy of errors.
It’s not a perfect movie by any stretch. Sometimes the scenes go on for just a second or two too long. You can feel the director nudging you to cry, and it’s a bit annoying. But then, just when you’re about to check your watch, something happens that feels genuinely messy and human.
It’s not as polished as other films from the era, like The Spider, but it has a pulse. That’s more than I can say for a lot of the stuff I’ve sat through this month. It’s a bit of a relic, sure. But it’s a relic with a nasty, jagged edge.
Don't expect a neat bow at the end. The movie just sort of... stops. It leaves you hanging, which I actually kind of loved. Sometimes the best way to end a story is to just walk away from it while it's still hurting. 🎞️
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