Yesterday Was a Lie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Yesterday Was a Lie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 10, 2019

Yesterday Was a Lie is a film with a lot on its veritable mind, but perhaps by design without a clear explanation of at least some of the ideas running through it. The commentary on this disc includes a lot of explanatory information from writer and director James Kerwin, but even he seems to realize that the film is open to various interpretations and is therefore almost willfully a hard nut to crack. Suffice it to say that Yesterday Was a Lie traffics in a general noir sensibility while attempting to explore ideas prevalent in such disparate (yet linked) areas as quantum physics and Jungian iconography. Some readers of this review may remember a film shot here in my hometown of Portland (featuring some great Portland actors, I should add) called What the Bleep Do We Know!? (note that the link points to a DVD, not a Blu-ray) which similarly attempted to “explicate” ideas of quantum physics, time loops and other incomprehensible concepts, with (exactly like Yesterday Was a Lie ) a female protagonist in a story where some at least might be expecting a male to take the lead. Unfortunately, the similarities between these two films extend to the fact that much like What the Bleep Do We Know!?, Yesterday Was a Lie may ironically work better as an idea rather than as a completed project.

The "plot" of Yesterday Was a Lie, at least insofar as it can be discerned, deals with a "gumshoe" named Hoyle (Kipleigh Brown), who is on the hunt for both a mysterious notebook which may contain secrets no mortal man should ever be allowed to read, and for a guy named Dudas (John Newton), who may or may not have stolen it. Also involved is a lounge singer (Chase Masterson) who bears more than a passing resemblance to Hoyle. In the "wait, you also get" department, there's also a helper to Hoyle known only as Trench Coat Man (Mik Scriba), and both Peter Mayhew and (the voice of) Robert Siegel are on hand in cameos.

As can probably be gleaned from the screenshots accompanying this review, Yesterday Was a Lie is a riot of style, but that old adage "style over substance" may not actually be applicable in this case, since it's obvious there is some kind of rather weighty substance here, albeit often referred to allusively. The film might have done better to not have kept things in whatever the metaphysical equivalent of chiaroscuro lighting might be. That fact that even Kerwin can't provide a definitive "version" of what's going on may be indicative of some amazingly brilliant strategy on his part, but my hunch is many viewers will unfortunately simply feel confused rather than intrigued by this film.

Yesterday Was a Lie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Yesterday Was a Lie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of IndiePix Films, which is evidently aligned with Amazon's streaming service (it seems like the film may be available to stream there from some of the supporting material provided with this release), with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. (This release comes on a BD-R.) This release comes with two kind of odd statements about the transfer, including "digitally remastered shot by shot for optimal viewing" and my new favorite "now fully remastered from the digital negative". The IMDb lists a Sony model and I am presuming things were finished at a 2K DI. There are some passingly odd anomalies on display here, with slight "fuzziness" intruding into the image at times (see screenshot 6). I'm frankly not sure if some of this is due to the encode or if some stylistic tweaks were added for some reason. Generally speaking, though, detail levels are very good to excellent in close-ups, though the glut of really dark framings tends to keep general detail levels and especially fine detail levels tamped down quite a bit of the time. Contrast is exceptional for the most part, promoting very deep blacks and nicely modulated gray scale. There are some issues with banding that accrue due to the variances in light and some sequences that are filled with smoke and/or haze.

Yesterday Was a Lie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Yesterday Was a Lie unfortunately only offers a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, something that some audiophiles may find especially disappointing since one of the film's inarguable high points is its nicely jazz inflected score by Kristopher Carter, which includes Masterson warbling a standard or two. Surround activity isn't especially forceful, limited to things like ambient environmental sounds (a scene in the rain is notable in that regard), or the background clatter of the club where Hoyle and the Singer interact. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation.

Yesterday Was a Lie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features James Kerwin, Chase Masterson and Kipleigh Brown


• Original Trailers include:

  Trailer A (Theatrical) (1080p; 2:13)

  
  

  Trailer B (60 Second Spot) (1080p; 1:05)

  
  

  30 Second Internet Spot (1080p; 00:32)

• Featurette (1080i; 5:08) offers interviews with the principal cast and crew.


• Noir and the Heroine (1080i; 2:17) features more from the same interview sessions.


• Directing (1080i; 4:00) focuses on James Kerwin, but features more of the same interview subjects.


• Kipleigh Brown as "Hoyle" (1080i; 2:03)


• Chase Masterson as the "Singer" (1080i; 2:02)


• John Newton as "Dudas" (1080i; 1:38)


• Wondercon Panel (1080i; 36:09) features Kerwin, Newton, and Brown.


• Camera Tests and Outtakes (1080p; 12:34) are newly available with this release.

Note: For what it's worth, this BD-R has been authored a bit on the clunky side, and none of the supplements allow for chapter skipping ahead.

Yesterday Was a Lie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yesterday Was a Lie has a really ingratiating style, and a neatly smoky soundtrack, but it's desperately in need of more clarification, this despite the fact that not one but several "Moishe the Explainer" exposition dumps take place during the film. Video is generally fine looking on this BD- R, but this is another release that sadly only offers lossy audio, for those considering a purchase.