‘Femme’ Berlin Review: Queer thriller leaves audiences with more questions than answers

Woman, a strange thriller written and directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choo Ping, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and stars George Mackay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. The film explores the price of revenge, the toll it can take on the psyche, and how this pressure can lead to questionable decisions that lead viewers to seek explanations for these characters’ actions.

Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarett) is an East London drag performer called Aphrodite Banks. Rushing to the store after a show, he runs into Preston (George MacKay), a tattooed street thug who makes fun of how Jules is dressed (since they’re still wearing cross-dressing costumes and make-up). He rightly resists this homophobic outburst, but the result is that Jules is kicked out by Preston and left on the street. Months pass and the trauma of the beatings continues, so Jules goes to a gay bathhouse. There he sees his abuser grumpy and angry that he is trapped in his toxic masculinity and cannot be who he really is.

After a few looks in the dressing room, Jules follows Preston to his car and they drive to his apartment where they have sex. In her second appearance, this rough and tumble man is much calmer and more relaxed, and even flirts with Jules, which confuses him but also piques his interest. As the duo continue to date, does the victim develop Stockholm syndrome? Or is it all a revenge plan?

Woman creates a bustling environment (thanks to production designer Christopher Melgram) and fairly accurately reflects the overall lifestyle of queer people. The flamboyant personalities, the shows, the fashion, the space, the lighting, the community, it’s all there. This is only enhanced by Freeman and Ping’s direction and the soft, velvety visuals of James Rhodes’ cinematography, which reminded me of a Gaspar Noé film. Together, the three create atmosphere and visual tension with a combination of intense close-ups and long shots that promote the connection and disconnection between Jules and Preston and how they come from different worlds. All these elements make the film smolder with sexual energy that would not have been possible without the protagonists.

MacKay is one of the few Hollywood actors who takes REAL risks. He played a man who thinks he is a wolf (Wolf), Ned Kelly (True Story of the Kelly Gang) and a First World War soldier (1917) and now a criminal drug dealer. I respect him for challenging his skills, range and fearlessness to take on roles – from the prestigious to the idiosyncratic. Stewart-Jarrett makes the most memorable, albeit brief, appearance in “Candyman 2021” and “I Loved Him” ​​on the HBO Max show gender + ie. When he enters a scene, he imbues himself with a quiet charm that is never insincere. While the actors and the technical aspect of the film prevail, WomanThe biggest obstacle is its history.

Gay angst is one of the oldest tropes in queer cinema. I don’t say this to denigrate that experience, as tropes are taken from some form of reality, but these stories often have a character portraying a woman who suffers because masculine men refuse to let go of their internalized homophobia. Add to that the power dynamics and racial implications, which are much more noticeable because Jules is not fully realized as a character. By the end of the film, I realized how much I didn’t know about them because they don’t get a chance to exist outside of their suffering. However, there is a lot to notice about Preston: he is a thug, sells drugs, has a temper, is withdrawn and has a submissive streak.

A unique exploration of revenge and retribution takes place within the walls of Freeman and Ping’s screenplay. closer to the end Woman, Jules turned the tables and turned Preston into a submissive lover by using his feminine charm to soften his tough exterior. The best revenge is to stand up for your truth and show people the real you – and if the movie had ended there, it would have ended strong. But as the credits rolled and Jules hugged that hoodie, I asked myself, “He’s alive, but at what cost?” I was dying to understand how twisted his reality is? What will Jules win??? Where is the sense of self-preservation?!

Thinking about these questions about Femme only added more confusion. Eventually I gave up trying to figure it all out.