Release Date: March 27, 2015 (Limited)
Director: Sophie Hyde
MPAA Rating: NR
52 Tuesdays is a poignant and lovingly, if not slightly disjointed, coming-of-age story that provides a uniquely presented exploration into the life of a young woman whose mother is transitioning into a man. Director Sophie Hyde took an interesting approach when crafting the film, shooting each Tuesday for 52 consecutive weeks in order to mimic the film’s approach to storytelling – a method that, while interesting, had little impact on the overall experience.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey stars as Billie, a wise-beyond-her-years teenager who begins to discover her own sexuality right when her mother, Jane (Del Herbert-Jane), announces that he will be transitioning into a man and changing his name to James. Billie supports her mother’s decision and agrees to move in with her equally supportive father while her mother begins testosterone treatments.
From 4 to 11 p.m. every Tuesday, Billie spends time with James, and afterwards she spends a few hours in her uncle’s studio, filming her sexual escapades with her two friends, Jasmine (Imogen Archer) and Josh (Sam Althuizen). As the title implies, the film takes place over the course of one year and shows us the Tuesday of each week, allowing us to witness the changes in Billie’s life, as well as those of her mother and those around her.
James’ transition stalls after discovering his liver was rejecting the testosterone treatments, which begins to take a toll on both him and his daughter. Billie begins to realize that, although she’s accepting of her mother’s decision to become a man, she’s having problems with the transition period itself and the fear of no longer having a mother like she once remembered.
The way in which this aspect of the film is explored – with such a true sense of emotion but at the same time injecting in comedy – is handled eloquently and with just right amount of sensitivity and tact. We’re reminded that decisions like this affect everyone in a family, and it was refreshing to see this explored from the point of view of a teenage daughter.
Yet there were aspects of the film that felt a bit underdeveloped, like the physical toll the transition was having on James. Without the use of testosterone injections, he needed to go through surgery to continue his transition, and while this was touched on, it felt glossed over. Similarly, Billie’s relationship with her father was a bit lacking, despite the fact that she lived with him. So much time was spent with Jasmine and Josh, but we never get a good idea of who either of them were, especially Josh. If they were meant to be a mere catalyst of Billie’s sexual awakening, we didn’t need to devote that much screen time to them.
52 Tuesdays doesn’t fall into the heavy-handed or overly sentimental tropes one might expect from a film with this subject matter. Instead it gives us a moving and deeply personal glimpse into what it’s like to have a member of your family transitioning and the emotional and psychological impact it has on everyone involved. This should be required viewing.
