Femme: On the red carpet with George MacKay, Nathan Stewart-Jarret, John Mcrea, Sam Freeman and NG Choon Ping

This richly layered thriller Femme, which teeters on the edge of so many dark themes, is a complex and emotive debut feature from writer/director pair Sam Freeman and NG Choon Ping. The movie is an adaptation of their BAFTA-nominated short of the same name that they put out in 2021 but with a brand new cast and a modernised narrative.

Nathan Stewart-Jarret stars in the dual role as a drag queen called Aphrodite who heads out performing on the circuit and then as Jules when he’s off-stage. After suffering an intense homophobic attack he seeks out his assailant Preston (George McKay) and in doing so unearths a masculine, dominant and streetwise character who is hiding his sexuality behind this toxic facade. The two soon become entwined in an unlikely relationship that brings to screen themes of obsession, love and an exploration of gender.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to McKay about his role in the film as Preston and what it meant to step into that character and portray the negative side of the masculine figure. He also talked about the brilliant relationship he built with Stewart-Jarret.

Stewart-Jarret shared what the film was all about and what viewers could expect from the narrative, as well as what it took to prepare for his role.

John Mcrea chatted about coming on board to this project and how unique the perspective of the film was, the world of drag and the portrayal of that on screen in this film.

We also spoke to the directors about how and why they made this their debut feature, how they adapted the short that they’d made and also about the story itself and what they wanted to tell.

Ezelle Alblas

Femme is released in select cinemas on 1^st December 2023.

Watch the trailer for Femme here: