You know that feeling when you're watching a movie and you can almost feel the air getting thinner? That’s basically the experience of watching the cast of femme film (the 2023 British thriller, not the short it was based on) absolutely shred their roles. It’s a brutal, sweaty, and honestly heartbreaking revenge story that works only because the two leads are so dialed in.
I was skeptical at first. A drag queen seducing his attacker for revenge? It sounds like it could go off the rails into "exploitation movie" territory real fast. But Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay aren't playing tropes. They're playing people who are deeply, messily broken.
The Powerhouse Leads: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay
Basically, the whole movie rests on the shoulders of these two. If the chemistry didn't sizzle, the whole plot—where a drag artist named Jules enters a sexual relationship with the man who assaulted him—would feel fake.
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett plays Jules (and his drag persona, Aphrodite Banks). You might recognize him from Misfits or the Candyman reboot, but he’s never been this vulnerable. He has this way of shrinking his tall frame when he’s scared and then suddenly looming large when Aphrodite takes over. It’s a physical transformation that’s wild to watch.
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Then there’s George MacKay as Preston. Honestly, if you only know him as the "hero" from 1917, this will give you whiplash. He’s covered in bad tattoos and has this jittery, aggressive energy that makes you think he might explode at any second. But as the movie goes on, MacKay shows you the cracks. He’s playing a man so terrified of his own desires that he lashes out with violence to "prove" he’s straight. It’s a haunting performance.
Interestingly, the two of them actually won a joint British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for these roles. It makes sense—you can't really talk about one without the other. They apparently only had about a week to build that level of intimacy before filming started, which is kind of insane given how intense the sex scenes are.
The Supporting Cast of Femme Film
While Jules and Preston take up most of the oxygen, the people around them ground the story in the "real world" of London.
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- John McCrea as Toby: He’s Jules’ flatmate and best friend. He’s the one trying to pull Jules out of his depression after the attack. McCrea brings a sort of weary, lived-in queer joy to the role, which provides a sharp contrast to the darkness Jules is sinking into.
- Asha Reid as Alicia: Another flatmate who adds to that feeling of "chosen family." She’s protective and blunt.
- Aaron Heffernan as Lee: He plays one of Preston’s "lads." He represents that toxic, hyper-masculine environment that Preston is so desperate to fit into.
- Antonia Clarke and Moe Bar-El: They fill out the edges of the world, making the London nightlife feel authentic rather than a movie set.
Why the Casting Matters More Than Usual
There’s a lot of talk in the industry about "commercial viability," and apparently, some executives were worried that a film with a Black queer lead might not sell. Directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping stuck to their guns, though. They’ve mentioned in interviews that Nathan was simply the best person for the job—nobody else even came close.
It’s also worth noting the racial dynamics. Jules is a Black man in a white-dominated "lad" culture. When he's with Preston's friends, the tension isn't just about his sexuality; it's about him being the only person of color in a room full of aggressive white men. The cast of femme film handles these layers without needing a ton of expository dialogue. You see it in the way they look at each other.
A Different Kind of Revenge
Most people expect a revenge thriller to end in a big shootout or a "gotcha" moment. Femme is more of a character study. Jules starts out wanting to ruin Preston's life by filming them together and outing him. But then he starts to see Preston as a victim of his own environment.
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It gets messy. You find yourself almost rooting for them to work out, even though you know Preston is a monster who did something unforgivable. That’s the "neo-noir" element. There are no clean lines. By the time the credits roll, nobody has really "won."
Key Takeaways for Viewers
If you're planning to dive into this one, keep a few things in mind about the performances and the production:
- The Physicality: Pay attention to how Jules changes his posture when he’s in drag versus when he’s "blending in" at the gym or with Preston.
- The Lighting: The directors use a lot of "bisexual lighting"—pinks, blues, and purples—to emphasize the dreamlike, dangerous nature of their affair.
- The Short Film Roots: This was actually based on a 2021 short film of the same name. In that version, the leads were played by Paapa Essiedu and Harris Dickinson. It's a fun "what if" for fans to imagine how those two would have handled the feature-length version.
- Watch for the Tattoos: Preston’s tattoos were designed to look like "jailhouse" or "backroom" ink—nothing professional. It adds to that feeling of him trying too hard to look tough.
How to Appreciate the Film Further
- Watch the 2021 Short: If you can find it, it's a great 18-minute masterclass in tension that set the stage for the 2023 feature.
- Follow the Directors: Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping are definitely names to watch in the UK indie scene. Their ability to blend "genre" (thriller) with deep social commentary is rare.
- Explore the Soundtrack: The music by Adam Janota Bzowski is incredibly moody and does a lot of the heavy lifting in the scenes where Jules is alone.
This isn't an easy watch, but it's an important one for anyone interested in how acting can transcend a script. The cast of femme film took a risky, potentially controversial premise and turned it into one of the most human stories of the last few years.