Review: Tuesday (2015)
Review: Tuesday (2015)
A captivating story with so little in the way of dialogue, locations and time.
Charlotte Wells Wins Outstanding Debut For Aftersun | EE BAFTAs 2023
In the first scene of Tuesday we see a teenage girl come down the stairs of a family home and put on her black boots. Her mum makes conversation, asking if she needs a lift to school and what her plans are, but she reminds her mum that since it's a Tuesday she'll be going to her Dad's.
She's reluctant to say much. Her mother looks concerned, apprehensive, helpless. She doesn't argue or persist with her questions, though something in her lingering, almost-teary stare tells us that she wants to ask more, but fears the answers she might get in response. It's a delicate situation, and the wall separating them indicates division, but we don't know why. The avoidance and need for space could simply be put down to her being a teenager or, worse, hormones. But the feeling created through this initial interaction is one which is far too delicate and fraught to allocate blame.
The short film proceeds to show us snapshots of Allie getting on with her day: riding the bus, turning up late to school, taking her science class, catching up with a friend, all before heading to her dad's. Each interaction is slightly pained, with a teacher completely missing the mark, suggesting she dodged a deadline because she was "clubbing and drinking", while the conversation with her friend is entirely lop-sided. Are they trying to be inconsiderate and irritating or does it just seem this way because we are immersed in Allie's vision of her world so well? As solidified in Aftersun (2022), one of Charlotte Wells' greatest skills as a director is framing character perspectives with sympathy and intimacy without telling us why, but she shapes them in such a way that we don't once distrust the viewpoint we're immersed in.
It seems like the thought of going to her dad's after school is what keeps Allie going through the day. Everything else is merely a distraction and she is fixated on getting there. The camerawork and performance all strongly reiterate an overwhelming feeling of isolation, with long shots of her walking through a vast open space used to emphasise this several times (see below for an example).
The majority of the film is spent with us watching Allie once she has arrived at her dad's home. Though we had less than a handful of minutes to get to know the character and her situation, it was clear that she was desperate for Tuesday to come around so it's a relief to see her finally there. The isolation previously established becomes less overwhelming and more comforting in this new setting because she is where she wants to be. It's a crucial time for Allie who helps herself to some ice cream from the freezer (and she has an interesting technique for serving this up, by the way) and takes in every little detail around the home, caring for various items, fixing them and giving them a new lease of life. The near-silence only amplifies the chasm between the quietness of the rooms she surveys versus the noise that must have occupied them only a short time ago.
The penultimate shot of Allie on a sofa laden with tartan blankets around her while enshrouded in angular shadows and silence confirms answers to questions that had never even been asked. It is really quite astounding. As well as Megan McGill producing a brilliant performance as Allie, writer and director Charlotte Wells has created a captivating story with so little in the way of dialogue, locations and time. It's a powerful short that not only leaves you thinking about the character in the present, but about their life before and after the film takes place. Thematically, the links to Wells' feature debut Aftersun are clear and unavoidable, especially if you seek this film out afterwards (which many will likely do after its BAFTA win, and Paul Mescal's well deserved Oscar nomination). But whatever order you decide to see Wells' filmography in, watching this will only help you to appreciate the astute and thoughtful approach to filmmaking that she has.
Verdict: Tuesday is a deeply affecting short film which places an emphasis on the importance of time and how it's spent. In this case, a specific day of the week means more to this character than we could ever have predicted.
Overall? ⭐⭐️⭐⭐
Big screen appeal? 🎬🎬
Accolade eligibility? 💡💡💡💡
Study-worthy? 📚📚📚📚📚