‘Femme’ movie review: A fresh spin on revenge
Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping have delivered on a very difficult promise: redefining the revenge movie. The cinematic trope is an easy one to get wrong. A wronged individual goes undercover in the bid to enact vengeance on the hateful figure that caused them harm, only to find themselves dealing with the fragility at the core of most humans. Somehow, the duo have given their audiences something unique with Femme.
Much of that new spin was brought forward by the story’s setting. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett stars as Jules, a drag artist growing in fame with a following that is now beginning to extend beyond the clubs. Thankfully, backed by a warm support network in Alicia, played by Asha Reid and John McCrea’s Toby, Jules is ready to take the performance on to the next level.
Getting ready for a performance one evening, Jules spots a man outside the venue, eyeing him critically: it’s Preston, played with gusto by George McKay, a moody, conventionally masculine individual. Preston scowls at Jules’s alluring smile and abruptly walks away.
Later, as Jules makes a spontaneous visit to a late-night pharmacy still clad in costume and makeup, Preston reappears with a group of friends, subjecting him to a vicious homophobic assault. It sends Jules into an emotional downward spiral that seems inescapable.
Jules’ debilitating depression only lifts when he encounters Preston in a gay sauna and, realising he’s unrecognisable without his drag attire, decides to approach him. Soon, they engage in highly toxic intimate activities, intensified by the unwelcome thrill of Jules seemingly gearing up for some form of bloody retaliation for the attack that sent him into such a dark place.
At this point, the aforementioned trope could bring the story down. But owing in part to the less traditional take on the revenge format, the movie is rich with intrigue and deeply complex storytelling is a cinematic trait rarely given the right to screen time.
Another highlight is the wonderful performance of Stewart-Jarrett, who not only manages to captivate audiences with assertive star power but delivers a knife-edge performance that is both vulnerable and decisive with a rehearsed calmness that feels as close to menacing as Jules would have hoped. Equally impressive is McKay, who delivers a measured performance as Preston, never veering too far into pantomime villain and allowing the fragility of his masculinity to take centre stage.
A revenge movie is difficult to get right in 2023, but Freeman and Ping have produced a fresh take that makes Femme a cult classic.
