An adaptation of the eponymous Bafta-nominated short released in 2021 written and directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, Femme sees Nathan Stewart-Jarett play Jules ,a drag artist beaten to a pulp in gay hate crime by a low-level gangster Preston (George McKay), only to proceed to form a semblance of a relationship, under the premise of entrapping and outing him. The world the filmmakers create here is contained, submerged in perpetual darkness, traversing the London’s night life, preoccupying itself with a revenge porn narrative brought on by a severe case of toxic masculinity and internalised homophobia

Stewart-Jarrett deservedly takes on the lead, whose strikingly angular looks and towering physicality have been slowly simmering since his appearance in Misfits (2009) and Utopia (2013) to the recent remake horror Candyman (2021). Jules is a larger-than-life drag performer working it, over an East London main stage. Post performance, still decked out in his skimpy outfits and braids-for-days hair, the urge for a cigarette sees him reluctantly exit his safe space to the corner-shop. His fears are realized when he catches the gaze of closeted Preston (George Mackay) and his group of ruffian friends, followed predictably by an onslaught of verbal abuse. As Jules claps back hinting at his homosexual leanings – having previously seen him loitering outside the club -Preston seeks to redeem himself by violently beating him up.

As Jules tries to recover from the trauma inflicted on him, he crosses paths with Preston at a gay sauna, who does not recognize him. A weird choice of venue considering Jules appears to have no inclination in hooking up with any of the scantily towelled patrons or willing to engage with any voyeuristic play. Unclear of his own motives, Jules seeks to make contact with Preston, embarking on a journey which oscillates between seeking revenge and Stockholm syndrome.

There is a sheen of slickness to Femme, engulfing itself in palette of shadowy tones, befitting of the film’s gloomy psychological mood. Stewart-Jarrett and McKay give strong performances and do best with a script that is periodically cliché, entertaining all-too-familiar tropes around gay men, class, and masculinity. Certain directorial choices seem to adhere to superficial perceptions of a gay life. The drag performances, the gay best friends, the gay sauna, the tattooed thuggish homophobe who is himself a self-hating gay. There’s also an inauthenticity in the removal of explicitness from copious porn images scattered throughout, whether it’s emanating from a sauna screen or video clips on a laptop, sanitising a film that otherwise seeks to immerse itself in edginess and unease.

Yet this exaggerated portrayal of toxic masculinity works on occasion. The ludicrous way in which Preston seems to be only capable of inhabiting the binary of dominant and submissive, is simultaneously a form of satire and edge-of-your-seat thriller. From lashing out uncontrollably to pretending to be in complete control make him an unreliable, if engrossing, narrator. The numerous sex scenes are for most part abusive, consisting of him sadistically pounding Jules only for his satisfaction. A dinner scene of him attempting to play grown-up, clumsily ordering on Jules’s behalf is pure cringe. Illustrating his only mode of being is to emulate dominant alpha-male heteronormative roleplay.

As Jules cleverly role shifts their S&M dynamics, managing to take control, even getting a clear shot of them fucking him, with Preston’s approval. Preston eventually softens, seemingly once dominated. His new amenable disposition is a predictable turn of events, and of course makes Jules question himself and his motivations. As the outcome of Jules revenge plot becomes unclear, a series of elaborate events culminate into a violent outburst, spurring him tap into the same inner rage that was fuelling Preston all along. Femme as a first feature, if flawed, shows great promise for the directors, featuring rich ideas which could work wonders with further refinement.

Femme is in cinemas on Friday, December 1st. On VoD on Monday, January 22nd.