52 Tuesdays
Director: Sophie Hyde
Stars: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Sam Althuizen, Imogen Archer
Duration: 114 mins
Class: 15

The film that opens the Poutfest Tour 2015 festival is Australian drama 52 Tuesdays. It offers an intimate and compelling portrait of a teenage girl Billie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) as she comes to terms with her mother Jane’s (Del Herbert-Jane) transition from woman to man, James. Moving to her dad’s while the transition takes place, Billie and her mum promise to spend every Tuesday afternoon together.

And so begins a year of transformation for both. While Billie gets to grips with the new identity of the mother she has always known and loved, James deals with the physical and emotional trials of the transition. Moreover, Billie is also dealing with her burgeoning sexuality which she explores in a rather unorthodox fashion with two older school friends. Director/writer Sophie Hyde and her co-screenwriter Matthew Cormack have created a poignant and fascinating film, focusing not only on the gender identity issue at the heart of the story, but also on the complexities and emotions that exist within familial relationships. It is powered by a superb ensemble of virtual unknowns – non-professional actors – with Cobham-Hervey especially giving a starkly authentic performance as the young girl whose world is thrown into turmoil.

The film sticks faithfully to its ‘Tuesday’ device. The story unfolding via a series of scenes from consecutive Tuesday afternoons, many illustrated with shots from the news depicting the passing year as the parent-daughter relationship faces some seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.