Director: Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping

Stars: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, George MacKay, John McCrea, Antonia Clarke

This impressively assured feature debut from writers-directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping is a consistently compelling erotic thriller fronted by excellent performances from the lead duo.

Stewart-Jarrett is Londoner Jules aka fearsome drag queen diva Aphrodite Banks. Off stage Jools is more delicate and shy, typically ‘feminine’ traits, hence the title.

One night outside the club where he performs, Jules exchanges glances with a shifty-looking man who is apparently checking him out. Later, stopping off at the corner shop on the way home, Jules, still in makeup, attracts the unwanted attention of rowdy bunch of young men who shout homophobic abuse. When Jules cracks and talks back at the ringleader Preston (MacKay) a fight ensues leaving Jules badly beaten and bruised.

Following the brutal assault, Jules becomes withdrawn to the worry of his flatmates. Weeks later, he eventually ventures out to a gay sauna, where he encounters an aggressive and ill-at-ease man who turns out to be Preston, his attacker. After a bout of rough sex, they exchange numbers and a complex relationship develops.

As well as noirish genre piece, the picture also works as a fascinating character study with Stewart-Jarrett keeping the audiences guessing as to if Jules’ submissive persona is as much of an act as his drag character, especially in the sequences where Jules meets Preston’s mates and proves surprisingly adaptable, even comfortable. MacKay is equally compelling, Preston’s pent-up aggression and brash and flash front belying something far more vulnerable and unsure.

James Rhodes’ percipient nocturnal photography effectively contrasts warm cosy interiors with the more foreboding London streets.

Femme is released 1st December

David Willoughby

Follow David on Twitter @DWill_Crackfilm