Week 32: 52 Tuesdays

Director: Sophie Hyde

Writer:    Matthew Cormac

Seen:     16th August

Snacks:  Berries

Mood:     Moved

52 Tuesdays is a very modern tale and also one which is very much in the media eye at the moment. The story follows a year in the life of Billie played with dollops of maturity by Tilda Cobham-Hervey. Billie starts a video diary of sorts to track the year her mum Jane (Del Herbert-Jane) decides to gender transition, at the same time Jane also begins a video diary to track his own story. They decide to meet every Tuesday to spend time together whilst Jane becomes James.

Del Herbert Jane was originally the advisor on the film on gender transition and became the obvious choice to play James, a great choice in my opinion as her acting is never over stated and as the film progress’ you begin to really feel her struggle.

52 Tuesdays is a film about identity not just sexual identity but all the identity we all create for ourselves and whether that identity is ‘authentic’ or not.

Billie begins to struggle with her own sense of self and burgeoning sexual awareness and creates a space which is just hers to undergo her own transformation which mirrors James’ own transformation.

The road is a rocky one for Billie whose experiments on film verge on the orgiastic whilst James’ own path is also fraught with troubles. The audience watches both videos made every Tuesday and this ‘film within a film’ scenario is very engaging.

Director Sophie Hyde is definitely one to watch going forward as 52 Tuesdays is very well made, poignant and deals with the subject matter in a respectful and delicate way, team this with some superb performances and you are on to a winner.

If its on in a cinema near you I highly recommend.