Late at night, an East London drag queen, Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), is waiting to buy cigarettes when he receives the unwanted attention of a gang of aggressive young men. When he recognizes one of them, Preston (George MacKay), from the club where he performs, Jules throws a sassy one-liner at him. But rather than deflect them, it enrages Preston and as Jules leaves the store, the gang chase him down the street and violently assault him. When a still traumatized Jules runs into Preston again in a gay sauna—and Preston doesn’t recognise Jules out of drag—the two embark on a fraught sexual relationship in the shadows that is rough and dangerous.
Expanding on their BAFTA-nominated 2021 short of the same name, Ng Choon Ping and Sam H. Freeman’s psycho-sexual drama, Femme, manages to hover in Jules’ unsettling head space and turn Preston from a deplorable bigot into an almost sympathetic character… almost. The filmmakers never overplay moments or milk them for maximum drama, instead they throw these characters into situations that are on the edge and watch them both squirm for release.
Following Candyman, is great to see Nathan Stewart-Jarrett continue to get the big screen platform that he deserves after a career of exceptional work on television (Misfits, Utopia, Genera+ion) and the stage (Angels in America, Wig Out). Stewart-Jarrett takes us into Jules’ twisted POV that begins with shock at seeing Preston in the sauna, then fearful fascination, lust, revenge, and more. Not even Jules understands his attraction to Preston, but he cannot turn away from it.
MacKay’s Preston is a manifestation of fear turning into violence. He lashes out and tries to control Jules, when what he really wants is to let go and be dominated. He is a brittle young man who cannot accept the reality of who he is and can explode at any moment. It is a tight performance, almost writ large in MacKay eternally clenched neck muscles, and the two leads make for a compelling on screen pairing which saw them win a British Independent Film Award.
Some extra commentary and plot mechanics are delivered by Jules’ flatmates, Alicia (Asha Reid) and Toby (John McCrea), which feel a bit superfluous to the heart of the narrative. Femme’s strength is in capturing Jules and Preston’s moments of code-switching. As Jules dials up his “masc” traits to hide among Preston’s friends, and Preston flips from threats to desire the second they are alone. They come to a performative masculinity from different directions, but both are merely an alternative form of drag. Stewart-Jarrett and MacKay’s performances are layered with conflicting motivations that give their characters real energy and depth. Ping and Freeman never force things by giving the duo overly tender moments, it is all told in the micro-expressions and hints of things that neither character can articulate in the moment.
Preston may be an example of a toxic closetted man, but Jules has his own queer toxicity to deal with as well. When the two combine the friction is dangerous, sexy, and heartbreaking. Femme is a terrific debut feature that deservedly elevates Nathan Stewart-Jarrett to movie leading man status.
By Chad Armstrong
Femme is the Opening Night selection of Queer Screen’s 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival and screens at the Opening Night Gala on Thursday, February 15th with an encore screening on Sunday, February 25th. The 2024 Mardi Gras Film Festival runs in cinemas in Sydney February 15th – 29th and on-demand Australia-wide March 1st – 11th.
Femme opens theatrically from Utopia on March 22nd at the IFC Center in New York, followed by AMC The Grove in Los Angeles on March 29th, with a national expansion to follow.