Femme

The premise of Femme dangles a great number of tantalising possibilities as to how the story will eventually play out, as dark and cruel as they could be. The final denouement, though it gets the job done, plays it too safe. It’s not quite enough for co-writers and directors Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping to have a thrilling basis to start with, since the film quickly gets trapped in a corner and spends the rest of its runtime trying to escape.

By night, Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) becomes Aphrodite Banks, drag queen extraordinaire. One evening, while dressed as his alter-ego, he is set upon and viciously beaten by Preston (George MacKay). Several months later, the victim has recovered physically, if not emotionally. After unexpectedly encountering Preston in a gay sauna, he begins an affair with his attacker, who fails to recognise him as they have a great deal of unsexy sex. It’s a reasonable expectation that Jules will be after revenge, plain and simple.

The story plateaus when its protagonist’s motivations become muddled. As he becomes increasingly drawn to the closeted Preston, it becomes unclear what his endgame is going to be. This isn’t a case of keeping the audience guessing; it’s as if Jules simply doesn’t know if he can go through with his as-yet-undefined plan for retribution – or if he’s falling in love. Instead of the brutal revenge thriller that was hinted at, the narrative becomes a little timid, though still more than capable of commanding attention. 

If the screenplay lacks the courage of its convictions, the two leads do not. George Mackay is superb as the inscrutably dangerous Preston, completely avoiding the caricature that could be almost automatic with such a character. Stewart-Jarrett is also compelling, although his character is decidedly underwritten, and the result hangs together instead of being fully realised. 

The notions of gay panic and angst are fertile, if well-explored ground, so it’s a mild shame that Femme doesn’t embrace its considerable potential.

Oliver Johnston

Femme does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2023 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for Femme here: