A young woman in a monochromatic world is haunted by the vision of a mysterious doppelganger who beckons her to investigate dangerous secrets of the past. Hoyle, a "girl with a sharp mind and a weakness for bourbon" tracks down a troubled intellectual who himself frantically seeks out a timeworn journal which contains physics research which may alter time and reality forever. Clearly this isn't the typical synopsis for a gritty film noir detective potboiler, but little about James Kerwin's moody opus is expected — a fact which has its advantages and faults. The theme and concept spawning YESTERDAY WAS A LIE get high marks, but its execution loses emotional power in the translation from theory to theatrics.

As Hoyle, Kipleigh Brown straddles genre expectations in the conventional role of the detective lead — often exclusively a male role — while discovering she's also the client behind her own case.  Inexplicable moments of deja-vu as aspects of the mystery keep folding back on themselves lead Hoyle to question her own grasp of reality.  A smoky chanteuse known only as the Singer (alluring Chase Masterson) also makes quasi-surreal appearances as the guiding muse of Hoyle's investigation, while Mik Scriba plays Hoyle's loyal partner on the job.  Pursuing Dudas (John Newton) and the journal, the detective duo soon find a dead man (Peter Mayhew) who seemingly refuses to remain a corpse as his shadowy figure dogs Hoyle across town.  As the mystery deepens, Hoyle obsessively attempts to solve this metaphysical puzzle, deciphering dreamlike clues found in Dali paintings and science lab formulas, yet the Singer urges her to look into her own humanity for the truth and not simple facts.  Ultimately, it's Hoyle's own buried past with Dudas reveals the guilty party in a web of time-tangled betrayal.

If all this sounds a bit abstractly academic, you're on the right track.  Writer/director Kerwin bravely mashes up genre conventions and styles to create his unique vision— imagine mixing Bogart's shamus in THE BIG SLEEP with mind-warping surrealism of THE MATRIX.  Yet the logo for the production company Helicon, Intelligent Cinema, may better define this as intellectual cinema, as YESTERDAY Kerwin's script and characters strut the capacity of their gray matter over the emotional depth of their heart.  As Hoyle probes deeper into the quantum mechanics of how time and her own memories are re-shuffling amid her investigation, too often she and the story lose the trail of why this mystery matters to us.  As a black-and-white blend of noir, science fiction and gritty drama, all the stylistic touches appear on screen, but the 'crime' in question lacks the requisite humanity to make solving this case a satisfying journey.

Many of Bogart's inimitable classics and other genre milestones, ranging from THE MALTESE FALCON to LAURA and OUT OF THE PAST, rely on a romantic love story to entangle the detective lead, complicating the investigation at hand with the foibles of human emotion.  Kerwin intends for his film to follow that route, but the utter lack of romantic connection between Hoyle and Dudas scuttles this formula homage.  While Hoyle is indeed on the trail of revealing the secrets of her own heart, Dudas is so woefully underwritten (and frankly, underacted by Newton) that chipping away at the enamel obscuring the truth reveals nothing but more enamel beneath it.  We never get any sense of love, past or present, between these two characters, and so the consequences of their relationship fail to demand audience interest in their price.  Conversely, Hoyle and the Singer relate much better on screen, even if as a result of their being bisected halves of the one whole character.  The film flip-flops in its verdict about the true nature of the Singer — apparently cabbies can't see her while bartenders can? — either way she and Hoyle complete the only emotional circuit of the story.  One can't help but wish Kerwin had further bent genre expectations and made Hoyle and Singer the core of the plot, given Masterson's energetic charge in her scenes with Brown.

Alas, viewers are unlikely ever to worry that Hoyle is in true mortal danger on this case either, as the enigmatic dead man ineffectually haunts Hoyle's perception of reality. Peter Mayhew's casting was an intriguing choice which sparked my initial interest in this film, but perhaps the true crime behind this mystery is how Kerwin marginalizes this towering character actor. If you're going hire the man who immortalized Chewbacca in the STAR WARS saga with his utterly distinctive scale, looks and personality, then by God take full advantage of his assets. Having recently caught up with Mr. Mayhew during the 30th Anniversary of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, his woeful underuse in this film was a deflating disappointment given what the actor can do when presented the opportunity to enliven a silent supporting role.  His character having no dramatic relevance beyond a repeating plot point, this is a sadly missed opportunity.

Pluses and minuses include kudos to Kristopher Carter's moody, effective and generation-flexing original score which credibly bridges the reality gaps between 1940s-style noir and Mac desktop computers. Subtract points for not featuring this artist on the otherwise substantial DVD bonus features, which otherwise boost the value of this DVD release. Jason Cochard's cinematography serves the film's stylistic agenda very well, even if digital cinema cannot quite capture the grainy texture and bold shadows of '40s film stock. The film's tendency toward softer focus belies its 21st century origins despite all efforts to recreate an aesthetic from six decades before, proving once more that post-production tweaking and color desaturation alone cannot replicate true, classic black-and-white cinematography of the golden era.  Costume designs by Sara Curran Ice range from scintillating (the Singer's sultry gowns) to distracting (Hoyle's oversized fedora and tie dress Brown in genre props more than wardrobe).  Breanna Khalaf's hair and makeup design span the intentional generation spans quite suitably, and she has a definite eye for 1940s glamorizing of Brown and Masterson.

Kerwin's auteur vision borrows, bends and breaks many of the film noir conventions is boldly emulates, but ultimately YESTERDAY WAS A LIE betrays the mystery of its own heart for the sake of style.  Appreciation and adaptation of noir aesthetics aren't enough to overcome an incompletely told tale nor a confusingly solved case. Less flexing of intellectual muscles and more blood pumping through this convoluted plot would have heightened both aspirations of this moody mystery. YESTERDAY WAS A LIE is definitely worth a look for (cross)genre aficionados as there's plenty of light and shadow to satisfy noir tastes, but its resolution may leave viewers hungering for more from a potential unfulfilled.