With impressive performances in Captain Fantastic, True History of the Kelly Gang, and 1917, George MacKay has continued to seek out complex dramatic roles rather than the spotlight of blockbusters. And he’s taken on another challenging film with Femme, a revenge thriller set within the LGBTQ community.
As seen in the new trailer, Femme stars Candyman Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as a drag artist who is brutalized in a violent, homophobic attack. MacKay plays one of the attackers, who is spotted by his victim in a gay sauna and targeted for revenge. But this isn’t violent retribution we’re talking about here. The plan is to learn the attacker’s identity, then destroy him up close and personal.
The film is written and directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping in their feature debut. It’s an expansion of their 2021 BAFTA-nominated short film. Also in the cast are Aaron Heffernan and John McCrea.
Femme opens in New York on March 22nd, followed by Los Angeles on March 29th with a wider rollout to follow.
Here’s the synopsis: With his performances as Aphrodite Banks, Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Candyman) has a place among London’s celebrated drag artists. One night, after a show, he steps out to get some cigarettes and is brutally attacked by a man (George MacKay, 1917) out with a gang of his friends. Although Jules is able to recover physically, he withdraws from the outside world, traumatized. Months later, he recognizes his attacker by chance in a gay sauna. Without make-up and wrapped only in a towel, Jules is able to approach the other man incognito and find out who he is. He begins an affair with the closeted Preston with a plan to take his revenge.