Femme – Fantasia 2023
Natalie Portman Teaches Acting
July 20 to August 9, 2023
Content Advisory: Abuse, Graphic sexuality or pornography, LGBTQ+ Hate Crime
FILM FESTIVAL
Fantasia 2023
Fantasia Film Festival
PROGRAMME
Cheval Noir
A drag queen victimized by a homophobic attack seeks vengeance against one of his attackers in Femme. Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is a London man who performs in drag shows as Aphrodite Banks. While going into a store to buy cigarettes in full make-up, Jules ends up being viciously beaten by a group of thugs including Preston (George MacKay). Three months later, Jules is too traumatized to leave the flat she shares with his friends Toby (John McCrea) and Alicia (Asha Reid). However, Jules decides to make a visit to a gay sauna and he is surprised to see Preston in the club. After approaching his closeted assailant, Jules begins dating Preston, while also planning how to take revenge.
Femme Synopsis
Femme is a queer revenge thriller written and directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, expanded from their 2021 BAFTA-nominated short film of the same name. The film stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Candyman) as a drag queen who is immensely traumatized by a homophobic attack. By pure happenstance, Jules learns that his attacker Preston, played by George MacKay (1917, Pride), is himself a closeted homosexual. Jules plans to use this fact to out Preston with revenge porn, however as the connection between the two strengthens, vengeance becomes a lot more complicated.
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Femme is a film that puts a very queer twist on the typical revenge plot. At one point, Jules describes his drag persona of Aphrodite Banks to be his real personality. In a similar vein, Preston puts up a facade as tough guy, hiding the insecure gay man he truly is. While incredibly tough to watch at times, Femme is a well-executed thriller that tackles the topic of queer identity and being true to yourself.
