Yesterday Was a Lie

2008 film by James Kerwin

Yesterday Was a Lie is a 2008 neo noir film written and directed by James Kerwin and starring Kipleigh Brown, Chase Masterson, John Newton, and Mik Scriba. In publicity materials, the film has been described as a combination of science fantasy and film noir. The film had its commercial release in 2009.

A hard drinking female investigator named Hoyle (Kipleigh Brown) sets out to locate a reclusive genius (John Newton) who may be able to distort reality. Instead she finds her life becoming more and more fragmented and surreal. Trusting only her partner (Mik Scriba) and a sexy lounge singer (Chase Masterson), she is shadowed by a dangerous man (Peter Mayhew).

Yesterday Was a Lie was in production from August 13 to September 15, 2006. In March 2007, a trailer of the film premièred at San Francisco Wondercon. In August 2007, the film's official blog announced the completion of a test cut of the motion picture.

In a review published after the film's U. S. theatrical opening, Variety praised the film's "stunning black and white HD cinematography" and "impressively atmospheric tone" and its recreation of the "classical Hollywood [visual] aesthetic". The film's "sultry jazz score" was also singled out for mention. However, the review also criticized the casting of the film—calling the acting "stiff" and "hopelessly amateurish"—as well as the plot, which it described as a "clunky David Lynchian cosmic mystery" leading to "grand (yet underwhelming) revelations about the nature of reality." Other mainstream reviewers were critical of the film as well. Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times wrote that "The film seems like an atmospheric shampoo commercial in which glamorous models pose in gritty back alleys with fog machines going full force. There's lots of talk about the 'interconnected of consciousness' and 'the totality of consciousness' and how those who can plug into it can control reality [The] film is hard to connect with and is way too vague to inspire the urge to try to do so." while John Wheeler in LA Weekly wrote that the film's "pitch" was "'a metaphysical noir about a beautiful alcoholic detective searching for the key to understanding nonlinear time'" but commented that the "film can't hope to live up to that premise, and it doesn't." It comments that "the film jumps around aimlessly, repeating dialogue and images of Hoyle's search while using non sequitur discussions of Dalí and Eliot to justify its often impenetrably surreal structure." It praises the film as being in "gorgeous black and white and lit by some extremely competent artisans" but concludes that "the film is finally too disjointed and incomprehensible to be enjoyed as much else besides an exercise in style." The Epoch Times newspaper, Collider. com, Ain't It Cool, and KGO resident film critic Dennis Willis all reviewed the film positively, with Willis calling Yesterday "nothing less than the arrival of a major filmmaker." Author Robert J. Sawyer blogged that the movie was "the most thoughtful and compelling science fiction film of 2009" (a quote subsequently used in press materials). The film received a positive review from The Numbers following its DVD release. Yesterday Was a Lie has a rating of 83% on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

In February 2011, La La Land Records announced the February 15 release of the Kristopher Carter score on CD and digital download, including songs performed by Masterson from the film. The physical CD included two bonus tracks, "Can You Help Me?" and "City Talks", not included in the digital download. The album was well received, with Daniel Schweiger of Film Music Magazine calling it "a top notch indie score in all respects."