Past Tense is a 1994 American mystery television film directed by Graeme Clifford and starring Scott Glenn, Anthony LaPaglia and Lara Flynn Boyle.

Introducing herself to him, Tory Bass (Lara Flynn Boyle) exhibits a skittish manner and admits she is preoccupied by the feeling that someone has been murdered.

The next day Gene goes to visit Tory and there is an immediate attraction as she opens up to him, and they make love on her living room floor.

Following Larry to a hospital, Gene discovers that he has been dreaming, as he awakens from a coma he has been in for 13 months since he actually was buried in a sand pit and had his oxygen supply cut off.

What we have seen to this point has been the attempt of Gene's unconscious mind to forge a coherent story out of a mélange of true memories, such as the sand pit, misremembered items, like the "Tory" character, and what has filtered through while in the coma, as for instance Dr James, who is, in reality, Gene's attending neurologist.