Nu OriginsSee You Yesterday Review By Karla Natera
What would you do if you could travel back in time, just for a day?
Netflix’s ‘See You Yesterday’ is a film of opportunity, science, sacrifice and most importantly the importance of black lives. The film centers on two gifted high school prodigies of color who discover time-travel. This allows them to travel only one day prior in hopes of changing what seems to be inevitable.
Although only juniors in high school, CJ and Sebastian have big goals when it comes to college and their future. Morehouse, MIT, Spelman, Stanford are all top priorities for these scientists, with the help of a very generous science scholarship of course, but what will get them to the steps of these colleges? Temporal Relocation, also known as time travel. However, those plans change when an unfortunate police shooting happens. CJ and Sebastian put their big plans aside and travel back in time in hopes of changing what has already happened.
The importance of black lives plays a big role in this film and demonstrates how technological innovation is often overlooked in an area that seems to be considered “the hood” just because of its population.
Think back to Black Panther and how it was to view technology through a black lens; that is what this Afrofuturistic film is, a chance to experience a young black student’s mind and create the unimaginable. A film that not only shines a light on how brilliant minds can be but also how easily those minds and lives can easily be taken.
By showing how everything can change due to one officer’s ignorance of race and/or misinterpretation of a gesture, you are able to see how it strengthens the title’s importance: what would you change if you were given the chance to visit yesterday?
A very inspiring, heartfelt film that will keep you on your toes, have you fascinate over the art of science and keep you wondering what if?
