52 Tuesdays Explained

52 Tuesdays
Director:Sophie Hyde
Producer:Matthew Cormack
Sophie Hyde
Bryan Mason
Rebecca Summerton
Screenplay:Matthew Cormack
Story:Matthew Cormack
Sophie Hyde
Starring:Tilda Cobham-Hervey
Del Herbert-Jane
Music:Benjamin Speed
Cinematography:Bryan Mason
Editing:Bryan Mason
Distributor:Closer Productions
Runtime:109 minutes
Country:Australia
Language:English

52 Tuesdays is a 2013 Australian coming-of-age drama film directed by Sophie Hyde, with the screenplay written by Matthew Cormack and story by Cormack and Hyde. The film centres on a teenage girl dealing with the gender transition of a parent. The film showed at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival,[1] where it was not only nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, but won the Best Director Award. Over the following year it won numerous other awards and garnered global critical acclaim.

Plot

16-year-old Billie lives in suburban Australia. One of her parents comes out to her as a transgender man named James. Billie then learns that James wants Billie to live with her other parent, James's ex-husband Tom, for a year. This restricts the time Billie is together with James to Tuesdays from 16:00 - 22:00, starting on 23 August. The film is divided into the corresponding 52 segments, each covering one Tuesday, and starting with a title card showing the date.

Each Tuesday, after visiting James and before returning to Tom, Billie has secret encounters with two older students, Josh and Jasmine, in an apartment that her uncle Harry allows them to use. Billie films sexual experiments of the threesome.

James meets a setback in his transition when his body does not tolerate testosterone injections, and he has to stop them.

After sending a nude photograph of herself to Jasmine, Billie gets into trouble as this is considered child pornography. The school principal, James, Tom and Jasmine strongly disapprove it. Billie is shocked that James destroys one of her tapes, and refuses further contact with him. Josh does not want physical contact with Billie anymore because of Tom's disapproval.

Later Billie is willing to destroy a remaining tape, but since it is in James's house who she no longer visits, she is dependent on Harry, who finally destroys it for her.

When the year is finished, Billie reconciles with James, and starts living with him again. Also Billie, Josh and Jasmine become friends again.

Cast

Production

52 Tuesdays was filmed in suburban Adelaide over the course of a year, every Tuesday, to fit in with the storyline of the film.[2] [3] This in itself made it unique.[4] It was led by first-time actors and Hyde enjoyed the measure of intimacy and control that she had in the making of the film.[5]

Release and reception

The film was released theatrically in Australia on 1 May 2014.

Critical response

52 Tuesdays was met with positive reviews from critics upon its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It has a 90% critics' approval rating based on 39 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.[6]

Geoff Berkshire said in Variety that the film "Demonstrates a willingness to experiment that bodes well for future endeavors."[7] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter in his review said "A thoughtful drama about a mother and daughter whose connection is tested as they both go through intense changes."[8] Tom Clift of Concrete Playground gave a positive review, saying: "Honest, insightful and bravely against the grain, 52 Tuesdays is a magnificent debut for cast and filmmaker alike."[9]

Accolades

AwardCategorySubjectResult
AACTA Awards[10]
(4th)
Best Original ScreenplayMatthew Cormack
Sophie Hyde
Best EditingBryan Mason
Apolo Awards[11] [12] Best Editing
Best New DirectorSophie Hyde
Best New ActorDel Herbert-Jane
Best New ActressTilda Cobham-Hervey
Asia Pacific Screen AwardBest Youth Feature FilmBryan Mason
Rebecca Summerton
Matthew Cormack
Sophie Hyde
ADG AwardBest Direction in a Feature Film
AFCA AwardsBest Director
Best ScreenplayMatthew Cormack
Best ActressTilda Cobham-Hervey
ASE AwardBest Editing in a Feature FilmBryan Mason
AWGIE AwardBest Writing in a Feature Film - OriginalMatthew Cormack
Berlin International Film FestivalCrystal Bear[13] Sophie Hyde
Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule"
Score CompetitionBenjamin Speed
Best Feature FilmBryan Mason
Rebecca Summerton
Matthew Cormack
Sophie Hyde
Chéries-ChérisGrand Prix
Cleveland International Film FestivalReelWomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
Cork Film FestivalYouth Jury Award
Glasgow Film FestivalAudience Award
FCCA AwardsBest ScreenplayMatthew Cormack
Best ActressTilda Cobham-Hervey
Best EditingBryan Mason
Melbourne Queer Film FestivalBest Feature FilmSophie Hyde
International Festival of Independent Cinema Off CameraMaking Way Award
Sundance Film FestivalDirecting Award[14]
Grand Jury Prize
Tallinn Black Nights Film FestivalJust Film Award - Special Mention
Just Film Award - Best Youth Film
Inside Out Film and Video Festival (Toronto)Bill Sherwood Award for Best First Feature

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Two Aussie Features Selected For Sundance . . Eden . Caceda . 9 December 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150627074856/http://www.filmink.com.au/news/two-aussie-features-selected-for-sundance/ . 27 June 2015 .
  2. Web site: 52 Tuesdays. Adelaide Film Festival. 2 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140203184731/http://tix.adelaidefilmfestival.org/session2_aff.asp?sn=52+Tuesdays&s. 3 February 2014. dead.
  3. News: Australian director Sophie Hyde wins prize at Sundance film festival. The Guardian. 26 January 2014. 2 February 2014.
  4. Web site: 52 Tuesdays. Closer Productions. 2 April 2019. 2 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402081859/http://closerproductions.com.au/films/52-tuesdays. dead.
  5. The Adelaide Review. Sophie Hyde on Animals, nostalgia and letting friendships die. Walter. Marsh. 28 March 2019. 2 April 2019.
  6. Web site: . 52 Tuesdays . 2 April 2019 . live. 2 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402080747/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/52_tuesdays .
  7. Web site: Berkshire . Geoff . January 27, 2014 . Sundance Film Review: '52 Tuesdays' . 19 January 2014 . Variety.
  8. Web site: Rooney . David . January 26, 2014 . 52 Tuesdays: Sundance Review . 19 January 2014 . The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. Web site: 52 Tuesdays . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140426001924/http://sydney.concreteplayground.com.au/event/199182/52-tuesdays.htm . April 26, 2014 . 19 January 2014 . Concrete Playground.
  10. Web site: AACTA AWARDS 2014: All the nominees. 3 December 2014. SBS Movies . 8 December 2014.
  11. Web site: Las mejores películas de temática LGTB del 2015: ganadores de los I Premios Apolo de cine LGTB. 2022-01-24. dosmanzanas. es.
  12. Web site: Las mejores películas de temática LGTB del 2015: nominaciones de los I Premios Apolo de cine LGTB. 2022-01-24. dosmanzanas. es.
  13. Web site: 2014 Berlin Film Festival . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140323181106/https://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/auszeichnungen__/pue-presse-detail_22868.html . March 23, 2014 . 23 March 2014 . berlinale.de.
  14. Web site: 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Sundance.org. 2 February 2014. 10 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140210191027/http://www.sundance.org/festival/blog-entry/2014-sundance-film-festival-live-awards-updates/. dead.