‘Femme’ Movie Review [Fantasia 2023]: A Morally-Conflicted Revenge Drama
Photo from Fantasia International Film Festival
From Jeff Nelson
Femme tells the story of a queer drag performer named Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), who becomes the target of a homophobic attack at the hands of Preston (George MacKay) and his group of friends. Months later, Jules recognizes his attacker in a gay sauna and decides to get revenge.
Writer/directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping make their directorial feature debut in this traumatic story that puts a Black queer drag artist at the center of a violent attack at the hands of a closeted man. Do we really need another story of this tired, very real-life trope? That all depends on who you ask. Jules’ reclamation of power is muddy, as he instinctively reacts to his ongoing relationship with Preston, centering his attacker as emotionally damaged, rather than evil.
Femme is morally conflicted down to its roots, as Jules seeks to flip the script and tear down Preston when he’s at his most confident, which is precisely what happened to him. This power dynamic plays out in deeply intense ways that grow increasingly discomforting, as their personal gender and sexual journeys come to a bombastic climax that isn’t necessarily interested in coming to any conclusions for the audience. Femme will break you down and shake you to your core.
Stewart-Jarrett is impeccable as Jules, unafraid to embrace the story’s darkest corners. MacKay is an absolute force, effortlessly weaving nuance into Preston’s insecurities that emerge in explosions of terrifying hatred. Together, they generate a never-ended engine of tension that refuses to give up.
Femme is a profoundly labyrinthine drama that plays with queer power dynamics like a game of Russian roulette. It’s horrific and frequently disturbing with the subtlety of a hammer to the head, but it also digs its heel into something that will generate conversation.
Rating: 3.5/5
Femme played at Fantasia 2023 on July 26th, 2023.
