Developing their own 2021 short into a taut feature, the writer-director duo of Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping study very different facets of masculinity in their neo-noir thriller Femme. The story follows Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) who performs in drag under his ferociously flamboyant alias Aphrodite Banks. On the way home after a show, he falls victim to a brutal hate crime at the hands of Preston (George Mackay), a small-time drug dealer egged on by his jeering gang of friends. Several months later, their paths cross again in the most unlikely of places.
Unfolding across the pitch black evenings of suburban London, the narrative smartly explores the masquerades of its central pairing against a neon-lit backdrop. Jules’ disguise is an obvious one – glammed up as his femme fatale persona, taking strength and protection from his layers of make-up and outlandish outfits. Preston’s mask is a little more nuanced, and the plot is driven by the shifting dynamic between the two men. A bright yellow hoodie serves as a subverted symbol of camouflage, a neat through line that illustrates the film’s themes.
The storytelling feels aligned with the avant-garde aesthetic, but can feel quite inauthentic in places, down to the strange spaces they inhabit and the colloquial language they use; Preston, initially at least, comes across like a caricature sketch of what an ultra-violent thug would look like through the filtered lens of the filmmakers. However, the required depth to approach heavy subject matter around revenge porn, toxic masculinity, code-switching, and internalised homophobia comes later in the film from the skilled performances that elevate the material.
George Mackay is terrific in his coiled spring portrayal of Preston. Following on from the charming parts in Pride and Sunshine on Leith that gave him his breakthrough, he showed that he can be effective in darker roles as Ned Kelly a few years ago, and this is further evidence of that. All tattoos and menacing swagger, his entire being is a distraction to hide his true self, and his volatile behaviour leads to an intense closing act.
An impressive and visually striking debut from Freeman and Ping, Femme plays in the dangerous territory between romance and revenge, and its complex ideas are expressed through two compelling double-sided performances.
Cinema Perspective 