By DEIRDRE CRIMMINS

Starring George MacKay, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Aaron Heffernan
Written and directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping
Utopia

FEMME begins with a quick pivot from the highest highs to the lowest lows. Drag performer Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is having an indulgent night performing at his regular club, filled with rhinestones and adoring friends. All is well and all is sexy, until he heads out still in drag to grab some cigarettes from the shop down the block. There, a group of hoodlums launches homophobic harassment without hesitation at Jules, who just wants to buy cancer sticks and leave in peace. Initially, his plan to keep his head down works, but a spontaneous moment of verbal self-defense hits a nerve in ruffian Preston (George MacKay), and the gang follows Jules out of the shop. The brutal and humiliating attack that follows leaves Jules broken, naked and alone. And this is just the film’s prologue.

FEMME, which just screened at the Boston Underground Film Festival (it’s currently playing in New York City, hits Los Angeles and Chicago March 29 and goes nationwide April 5), picks up months later, with Jules unable to find his bootstraps to pull himself up. Avoiding friends and zoning out to video games are all he does while waiting for each insufferable day to pass. A chance encounter with Preston at a bathhouse, with Preston not recognizing Jules, leads them down a path toward an indeterminate end.

Much of the tension in FEMME arises from the unlimited possibilities. Jules and Preston both have secrets they are keeping from everyone in their lives, and even each other. Not only does the tissue-thin veil between the truth and their lies hang heavy over every single frame of the film, but truly, anything could happen from one scene to the next. Both men, and the film itself, hold their cards firmly against their chests as they hurdle toward any possible, but unavoidably painful, ending.

Where FEMME truly stuns is in its incredible character development and handling of complicated feelings in an unencumbered story. As the plot slowly unfolds, the men’s motivations become more intriguing and messy. Exactly what their thoughts and emotions are is never clear to the audience, but like a whisper, it asks that viewers lean in closer and pay sharp attention. The very nature of revenge and proportionate retaliation is questioned in the context of the story, and rumination on that answer only enhances the film’s taut mood.

Stewart-Jarrett and MacKay’s onscreen chemistry is undeniable. Through their laconic performances, they still convey simmering self-loathing and horniness that pours out in every gesture, stare and touch. It would be difficult to overpraise these men for their turns here, and it’s difficult to picture FEMME working as well as it does with lesser-caliber leads.

The movie’s visual language only enhances the tension and torn mental states of the two central characters. The many dark scenes that take place outside the light of day are lit impeccably, with everything crisp and glowing in the frame. Jules’ stage performances are lush and vibrant, equal to the unquestionable joy happening on stage.

Not a horror film in the classic sense, FEMME is rife with horrifying moments and disgusting homophobia. It is exceedingly upsetting, yet overall exquisite.