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All Those Yesterdays

Written and Directed by Aaron Coffman

USA, 2011

Why do so many promising romances end up going nowhere? Why do some idealistic romantics settle for safe relationships that don’t truly work? There’s no easy answer to these questions, especially when external factors like jobs and location come into play. A possible culprit for these issues is the lack of communication between the couple that can kill a possible love connection. Even when the chemistry is obvious, it’s normal to see obstacles appear because feelings are kept silent. There’s a reason that misunderstandings are such a huge part of mainstream romantic comedies. While they offer an easy way to keep the leads apart, they also connect with audiences because it’s a universal experience.

This discussion strikes at the heart of All Those Yesterdays, which depicts a reunion of a once-promising romantic duo two years later.

All Those Yesterdays was originally reviewed during the St. Louis Filmmaker.s Showcase.

All Those Yesterdays is a moody, introspective drama about life and love. It magnifies the little things, paying scrupulous attention to dialog and the subtleties and mannerisms of body language. Unfortunately it fails to engage or present characters that are involving and, even at a brief 75 minutes, emerges as a pretty dull experience. Several years after their romance ended, thirty-somethings Nathan (John Gregory Willard) and Maggie (Lilly Bibb) meet for coffee and end up spending the day talking. They talk about what went wrong. They talk about what might have been. They stop talking for a minute, stare at each other wistfully, and then talk about why they’re so damn miserable. As Director and Cinematographer, Aaron Coffman’s low-budget first feature is well-produced. His compositions are carefully judged, his overcast camerawork well-matches the character’s moods,...

All Those Yesterdays is a moody, introspective drama about life and love. It magnifies the little things, paying scrupulous attention to dialog and the subtleties and mannerisms of body language. Unfortunately it fails to engage or present characters that are involving and, even at a brief 75 minutes, emerges as a pretty dull experience. Several years after their romance ended, thirtysomethings Nathan (John Gregory Willard) and Maggie (Lilly Bibb) meet for coffee and end up spending the day talking. They talk about what went wrong. They talk about what might have been. They stop talking for a minute, stare at each other wistfully, and then talk about why they’re so damn miserable. As Director and Cinematographer, Aaron Coffman’s low-budget first feature is well-produced. His compositions are carefully judged, his overcast camerawork well-matches the character’s moods, and the film does a decent job of showing off some St. Louis exteriors.