Femme

"Jules" (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is a confident drag artist who runs out of cigarettes one night after coming off stage. He sets off to the local shop to replenish and encounters a gang of homophobic chavs. Maybe ill-advisedly, he responds to their taunts and when outside is followed and badly beaten. Not surprisingly, this experience turns the young man into a bit of a recluse. He struggles to come to terms with what has happened and this affects his relationships with flatmates "Toby" (John McCrea) and "Molly" (Antonio Clarke). His mindset changes, however, after a trip to a sauna re-introduces him to his protagonist "Preston" (George MacKay) who aside from being a bit of a thug, is clearly closeted too. The two hook up, it's raw and visceral - and his new mate drives off and leaves him afterwards! This, however, sows a seed in his mind and some You-tubing later leaves him with a plan to film and expose "Preston" to the very creatures with whom he exists. What he doesn't quite count on, indeed neither man (nor us) really, follows as the story evolves from one of violence and vengeance into one that might actually touch on something deeper. "Jules" learns to adapt to his nemesis's world of drugs, violence and hatred - even to turn it to his own advantage, and that elicits a response from his new found "friend" that is almost touching at times... Thing is though, can leopard's change their spots? NJS is superb here but for me it's MacKay who made me sit up and take notice. There is something distinctly authentic about his depiction of this screwed up bully and as the film progresses and the dynamic between the men changes, his is the character that I actually began to feel ever so slightly sorry for. Don't look for vindication at the end, there is a finish to the film but not to the story... This is a well written drama that snacks of realism and reminds us all that bigotry in all it's forms is still alive and well! It's certainly worth watching.

In a nutshutt, Femme is a story about the protagonist's power being stolen and their realization that the only way to get it back is to TAKE IT BACK. And the plan to do so is a story told in the narrative that is enticing, tension building and slow burn perfection.

Following an attack, Jules goes from a confident extrovert to a scared introvert. Months go by and all Jules can do is play street fighter on the couch (albeit well). Jules begrudgingly leaves their flat to go to a bath house. In doing so, a chance encounter with the attacker presents itself. Jules is curious.

Enter Preston... This is a guy who has bad tattoos and a bad attitude. But that doesn't stop Jules from being curious and that curiosity leads to a creative plan of revenge. Does Jules get their power back? You will need to watch this one to find out.

George Mackay and Nathan Stewart both execute phenomenal performances. If you're a fan on Nathan Stewart in this movie, see also the series Soulmates (Black Mirror style genre). I haven't come across George Mackay before, but equally impressed.

"Femme," a 2023 thriller, grabs you and doesn't let go. It's the story of Jules, whose life is torn apart by a brutal homophobic attack. Things take a wild turn when he runs into Preston, one of the attackers, in a gay sauna. Jules is torn between revenge and something deeper.

This movie hits hard. It's gritty, real, and punches you right in the feelings. The actors bring their A-game, making every moment believable and raw. You're not just watching; you're living through Jules's pain and his complex road to possibly finding peace.

"Femme" is more than a movie. It's a deep dive into the aftermath of love & hate, showing how it scars everyone involved. It's uncomfortable, yes, but it's also incredibly powerful. It's one of those rare films that sticks with you, challenging you to see the world and its harsh realities in a new light.

Queer movies have been hit and miss recently as they always engage in the caricature of romanticizing the pains between the queer one and the closeted one.

Femme had all the chances of ending in the déjà vu world of sad gay movies but it does the opposite.

By showing incredibly realistic characters, with their emotional anxieties and doubts evolving in real time, by building an insane level of tension and ambiguity, Femme manages the impossible. It resets the queer love story to new highs. There are no arty effects, artificial pose, comfortable moments. This is a drama where love tries to find a place in mountains of pain.

At the center is identity and where each of us fits in defining our queer sensibility. I particularly loved the moments where the closeted one tries to create casual and romantic moments the way his mind can accept it. It's groundbreaking.

Difficult to watch but absolutely outstanding.

A revenge drama is a tricky business. You don't want it to be a too much of exploitation trash, but you don't want it to be too safe either. 'Femme' falls closer to 'playing it too safe' team.

I found the biggest issue was that the key moments didn't ring true. The assault scene, for example, is the basis of the rest of the ensuing drama. I wouldn't have expected it to be the level of 'Irreversible'... but it definitely relied too much on camera works and editing than the rawness of the violence, thus making Jules' resulting trauma less gripping to the audience.

The following key moments of shift also failed to be convincing. How Jules re-encounters Preston, how that chance encounter leads to hook up, how that again leads to a proper steak date... all seem to just happen for the convenience of the plot. Also Preston's changes as a character, namely how he develops deeper feeling towards Jules and admits his submissive side... all come along without much development (after literally one scene after another of him using Jules like a sex toy, that is).

Together with Jules' frankly flimsy plan of 'revenge' (why would he bring Preston back to his place and let his friends meet him if he truly was serious about his revenge?), the overall result is that it made it hard to take the whole thing rather seriously. A revenge drama that keeps you at the edge of the seat, 'Femme' is not.

One of the weaknesses was also Stewart-Jarrett playing Jules. His switch between feminine-masculine persona was impressive, but his display of tension/fear/emotional struggle was pretty mono-toned. Say, his fear before the assault should have a different colour to his fear when he later faces Preston's thug friends, for example. But to my eyes, it all felt pretty generic 'fear'.

Mackay's display of explosive temper and the contrasting soft/weak side is great, but even his great acting cannot quite make up (already mentioned) lack of convincing development.

I want to see more risk taking and raw approach when the film maker took up such a controversial subject to start with.