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The Yesterday

A disillusioned successful businesswoman struggling to find meaning in her privileged life, finds unexpected love and is forever changed.

With provocative elements of surrealism and paranoia, von Sass’s often dreamlike visionary debut is a love story steeped in psychoanalytic symbolism. Non-linear glimpses blur the line between reality and fantasy - a philosophical journey from disillusionment to self-love. Set to a predominantly rhythm guitar infused score including both 70’s San Francisco sound hits and current hits by Chris Norman and Calum Graham, ‘The Yesterday’ is a bittersweet ode to love.

Two foreigners in London from differing backgrounds and ages find themselves in a love neither could have imagined. One is a young shopkeeper from India awaiting the arrival of his wife by arranged marriage; the other a mature, principled businesswoman from America.

The story is Josephine’s. A foreigner in London, she has struggled to find lasting contentment and joy. She has fought her way to worldly success, but something has kept her searching for a pure, indisputable inner fulfillment. Wherever she turns, her dismay with the world sees only exploitation and abuse.

The young Shopkeeper is likewise a foreigner. Educated and starting his life journey, he has arrived to seek a better life in England for himself and young bride. Working long hours tending a store, he follows all rules until he finds himself apprehended by love.

Neither could have known the unexpected fulfillment, realization and heartbreak to come.

  • Benita Vera von Sass
    Director
  • Benita Vera von Sass
    Writer
  • Benita Vera von Sass
    Producer
  • Ben Richardson
    Producer
  • Benita Vera von Sass
    Key Cast
    "Josephine"
  • Manan Joshi
    Key Cast
    "The Shopkeeper"
  • Dessy Tenekedjieva
    Key Cast
    "Psychologist Friend"
  • Dan Hazelwood
    Key Cast
    "Lawyer"
  • Hannah Marie McGoldrick
    Key Cast
    "Birthday Girl"
  • Ece Ozdemiroglu
    Key Cast
    "English Woman"
  • Mickie Driver
    Key Cast
    "Button Suit Man"
  • Sensei Ahcene Moussaoui
    Key Cast
    "Karate Instructor"
  • Ben Tyler
    Key Cast
    "Karate Student"
  • Sophia Ait Bahcine
    Key Cast
    "Mother on Street"
  • Maryam Ait Bahcine
    Key Cast
    "Child with Balloon"
  • Marco Di Tieri
    Key Cast
    "Impatient Man"
  • Trystan Lever
    Key Cast
    "Winking Man"
  • Jane Trask
    Key Cast
    "Winking Man's Girlfriend"
  • Rory Baynham
    Key Cast
    "Man in Window"
  • Andrew Fegan
    Key Cast
    "Man's Voice from Street"
  • Spandana Patanaik
    Key Cast
    "Wife's Voice in Convenience Store"
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Romance, Experimental, Psychological, Auteur
  • Runtime:
    38 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 5, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    65,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:85.1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Distribution Information
  • Baronesse Productions Inc.
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Benita Vera von Sass

BENITA VON SASS – Director’s Biography

Film director, screenwriter, actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur.

Over the course of her career, Canadian Benita von Sass has built a diversified skill set in filmmaking and business marketing / management, having started her career as an international model and actor.

A western Canadian Humanities graduate (philosophy, religion) and former Law student, Benita von Sass has sought to understand the human condition, applying her experience in business leadership and aesthetics from a foundation of philanthropy.

Von Sass completed her Master’s degree in Filmmaking at the London Film School and University of Warwick in England to realize her life work. Her directorial debut film THE YESTERDAY was officially released to the festival circuit after January 1, 2022, her final version completed May 5, 2022. This film combines her love of the humanities, aesthetics and her desire to understand and portray the complexity of our human condition.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

'The Yesterday' is about loneliness, about seeking the deeper humanity within the human; about awakening real love and fulfilment beneath appearances, convention and form.

This film speaks to anyone who has questioned what really matters in life… money, stature, enjoyment at all cost? Hard work, loyalty, family? Or perhaps what is truly enviable lies much deeper…

I hope this non-linear film about perception and perspective inspires a conversation about the nature of love; about our experience of reality, imagination and time… and the interconnectedness of all influences - seemingly good and bad.