Cert 15
Teenager Billie, whose mother Jane is transitioning to become a man, is sent to live with her father and can only see here mother on Tuesdays, the 52 Tuesdays of the title. Director Hyde, for reasons of authenticity, also applied a similar rigour to the filming schedule, with the cast only seeing their scripts late on. As her mother undergoes her own momentous change, Billie embarks upon a personal journey of sexual discovery. There are honest and sometimes explicit depictions illustrating the subject matter.
“It’s a beguiling trajectory, as secrets, evasions and revealing iPhone footage contribute to exacerbating insecurities. …first-time director Sophie Hyde’s mazy, impulsive but sympathetic approach is always true to her characters’ exasperating but ultimately affecting pathway towards hard-earned self-knowledge.” Trevor Johnston, TimeOut
Dir: Sophie Hyde, Australia 2013, 110 minutes
Programme Notes
While a number of transgender-themed films have gone into general film distribution, 52 Tuesdays’ pared down and
neo-realistic style is refreshing in its honest approach to the subject. The story is told from the perspective of the
teenage Billie who, in addition to her own emotional and physical metamorphosis from child to woman, is confronted
with the revelation that her mother is undergoing gender transition to become a man. Billie responds by playing out her
confusion in experiments with her own sexuality – aided and abetted by two school friends.
Director Sophie Hyde used the imposed rigour of filming over fifty two Tuesdays – and only on Tuesdays – to mirror the
evening meetings between mother (Del Herbert-Jane) and daughter (newcomer Tilda Cobham-Harvey) and to capture
a year of their lives on screen. The non-professional cast members were given their shooting schedules only days
before actual filming, so as to build an authentic dramatic tension between them.
Although the film may be thought to lose pace at times, its honesty and integrity, especially in casting Del Herbert-Jane
(who in real life was transitioning from man to woman) and Tilda Cobham-Harvey, in a performance of remarkable
maturity, make it an accessible and compassionate exploration of complicated people with a lot going on in their lives.
“52 Tuesdays is fresh and confrontational but, more importantly, revealing. Behind the walls of each small urban
house, there is a story and this is another tale, an unconventional suburban sliver. Coban-Harvey is as
stunning as Rose Byrne was in her feature debut, Two Hands ”
Chris Greenwood, A Sliver of Film
Billie – Tilda Cobham-Harvey
James – Del Herbert-Jane
Josh – Sam Althuizen
Jasmine – Imogen Archer
Tom – Beau Travis Williams
Director – Sophie Hyde
Producers – Matthew Cormack, Sohie Hyde et al.
Screenplay – Matthew Cormack, Sophie Hyde
Cinematography – Bryan Mason
Original Music – Benjamin Speed
Comments
- Excellent!
- A mind bending film about the nature and reality of identity
- A gem of a film, with its themes of transition and exploration of the self. It deserves universal appeal
- Confused, powerful and therefore gripping
- Innocence transcends all judgements
- What price happiness?
- I found it hard to believe that so many people would show such a lack of prejudice towards these controversial sexual matters around the family
- Not sure what to make of it but its portrayal of transition seemed very realistic
- I think this rated a B but not sure what to make of it!
- Lacked pace completely most of the time. Not enough of anything
- The film tried much too hard
- Interesting take on sexuality but dragged on for too long. Give me Neighbours any day!
- Tuesday must have been bin night