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Femme (film)

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Femme
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Sam H. Freeman
  • Ng Choon Ping
Screenplay by
  • Sam H. Freeman
  • Ng Choon Ping
Based on
Femme
by
  • Sam H. Freeman
  • Ng Choon Ping
Produced by
  • Myles Payne
  • Sam Ritzenberg
Starring
CinematographyJames Rhodes
Edited bySelina Macarthur
Music byAdam Janota Bzowski
Production
companies
Distributed bySignature Entertainment
Release dates
  • 19 February 2023 (2023-02-19) (Berlinale)
  • 1 December 2023 (2023-12-01) (United Kingdom)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$385,589[1]

Femme is a 2023 British thriller film written and directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping in their feature debut. It is a feature-length adaptation of their BAFTA-nominated 2021 short film of the same name.

The film premiered in the Panorama section of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on 19 February 2023. It was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2023 by Signature Entertainment.

Plot

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Drag performer Jules has just finished one of his shows at an East London nightclub when he goes outside to smoke before realising he is out of cigarettes. He spots a heavily tattooed young man, Preston, watching him from afar. Preston then abruptly leaves. Later, Jules goes into a convenience shop to buy cigarettes in full drag. He again encounters Preston, now accompanied by several friends. They begin to hurl homophobic slurs at Jules, who retorts that he saw Preston checking him out. Enraged, Preston follows Jules out of the shop and brutally assaults him.

Three months later, Jules has stopped performing drag and become reclusive. One night, he goes to a gay sauna, where he is surprised to see Preston, who does not appear to recognise him out of drag. Jules follows him to the changing room, where Preston invites him back to his flat; Jules accepts. When the two arrive, they begin to have sex before Preston's friends arrive, interrupting them. Jules borrows Preston's fake designer hoodie—the one Preston was wearing during the assault—and pretends he is there to buy drugs and leaves, but not before he gives Preston his phone number. Jules decides to exact revenge on Preston for the assault by filming them having sex and posting it online.

Jules begins dating Preston, and they have sex several more times, with Preston enjoying dominating Jules. On one occasion, Preston spots Jules filming their encounter on his mobile phone. Angry, he takes Jules's phone and deletes the footage. However, he soon calms down, and the two have sex again, though less aggressive than before.

One night, Jules is on his way to Preston's flat when Preston's friends arrive and disrupt their plans. Jules is invited by Preston's friends to spend time with them and eventually go to a bar with them, which he does. Throughout the night, Jules stealthily flirts with and teases Preston, eventually leading the two to return to Jules's house, where Jules begins to dominate Preston. With Preston's consent, Jules films the two of them having sex.

The following day, Preston enjoys breakfast with Jules's two roommates, one of whom secretly invites him to Jules's birthday celebration, where Jules will perform in drag for the first time since the assault. As Preston goes to leave, he kisses Jules. Jules then prepares to post the footage online but ultimately decides against it. On the night of the party, Preston arrives with a present for Jules and gives it to Jules's roommate to look after. Not realising Preston is in the audience, Jules arrives on stage in drag, where he begins to tell a story about a "gay basher" he has seduced. Preston finally realises that Jules is the drag queen he assaulted months earlier, and he becomes visibly upset.

Preston ambushes Jules backstage, revealing that he knows who Jules is. He threatens Jules and demands to know who has seen the footage. Jules explains that he has not shown anyone and changed his mind after getting to know Preston. Ultimately, the two engage in a violent fight that ends with Preston almost strangling Jules to death. However, Preston collapses in tears and lets Jules go. Battered and bloodied from the fight, Jules leaves Preston sobbing and returns home to find Preston's gift-wrapped present on his bed. He opens it; it is an authentic designer hoodie to replace the fake one that Jules took from Preston earlier.

Cast

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Production

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Harris Dickinson and Paapa Essiedu led the 2021 short. In May 2022, it was announced that George Mackay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett would lead the feature-length adaptation.[2] Directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping credit producer Sam Ritzenberg and Agile Films founder Myles Payne helping them get the idea off the ground when they originally boarded the short.[3]

Principal photography began in London in June 2022.[2]

Release

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Femme had its world premiere in the Panorama section of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on 19 February 2023.[4][5] In May 2023, Utopia acquired North American distribution rights to the film,[6] while Signature Entertainment acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights in August.[7] It was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2023.[8] In the United States, Femme was released in select cinemas on 22 March 2024.[9]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 82 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Sexually charged and riddled with tension, Femme redresses the noir genre and may leave audiences biting their nails to the nub."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favourable" reviews.[11]

Accolades

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Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Berlin International Film Festival 2023 GWFF Best First Feature Award Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Myles Payne and Sam Ritzenberg Nominated [12]
Teddy Award for Best Feature Film Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping Nominated [13]
British Independent Film Awards 2023 Best Costume Design Buki Ebiesuwa Won [14][15]
Best Make-Up & Hair Design Marie Deehan Won
Best Cinematography James Rhodes Nominated
Best Music Adam Janota Bzowski Nominated
Best Music Supervision Ciara Elwis Nominated
Best British Independent Film Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping, Myles Payne and Sam Ritzenberg Nominated
Best Director Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping Nominated
Best Joint Lead Performance Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay Won
Best Screenplay Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping Nominated
The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping Nominated
Best Debut Screenwriter Nominated
Jerusalem Film Festival 2023 Best International Debut Nominated
Valladolid International Film Festival 2023 Recoletas Award for Best Feature Film Won [16]
Zurich Film Festival 2023 Best International Feature Film Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Femme (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b Yossman, K. J. (6 May 2022). "'1917's' George MacKay, 'Candyman's' Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Set to Star in Drag Queen Revenge Thriller 'Femme'". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  3. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (10 February 2023). ""There Are Rarely Queer Characters In These Films": How Directors Behind Berlin-Bound Thriller 'Femme' Wanted To Challenge Genre Stereotypes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  4. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (18 January 2022). "Berlin: George MacKay, Béatrice Dalle, Fan Bingbing, Sandra Hüller & Joan Baez Movies Head To Fest". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Programme – Femme". Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  6. ^ Kay, Jeremy (23 May 2023). "Utopia acquires North American rights to 'Femme' with George MacKay, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  7. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (16 August 2023). "Drag Queen Revenge Thriller 'Femme' Acquired for U.K., Ireland by Signature Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  8. ^ Cooper, Brenna (18 October 2023). "First trailer for critically acclaimed drag queen thriller Femme". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  9. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (19 March 2024). "'Femme' Review: George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Are a Bad Romance in This Bruising Queer Revenge Thriller". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Femme". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Femme". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  12. ^ "GWFF Best First Feature Award Jury" (Press release). Berlin International Film Festival. February 1, 2023.
  13. ^ "Feature Films 2023". Teddy Awards. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  14. ^ Dalton, Ben (November 20, 2023). "'All Of Us Strangers' leads Bifa 2023 craft winners with three awards; 'Femme', 'The Kitchen' take two each". Screen Daily. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  15. ^ "The BIFA 2023 Nominations Have Been Announced". British Independent Film Awards. November 2, 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  16. ^ Hopewell, John; Sandoval, Pablo (October 29, 2023). "Valladolid: 'The Permanent Picture,' 'The Old Oak' Win Big as the Spanish Festival's Reboot Wins Applause". Variety. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
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