In London, Jules is a successful drag queen. Every evening, his numbers are appreciated by the colorful crowd that fills the bar where he performs. Outside the establishment, however, not everyone appreciates the panache and glitter. Thus, one day as he rushes to buy cigarettes in a convenience store in makeup and stage costume, Jules is the victim of a violent homophobic attack perpetrated by a gang of thugs led by Preston. However, a few weeks later, Jules spots the latter in a gay sauna. In this context where Preston cannot recognize him, Jules begins an affair with his attacker in order to take revenge. Co-directors of WomenSam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping speak exclusively to us about their daring queer neonoir set against a backdrop of internalized homophobia.
“Ng and I are long-time friends; we used to be roommates,” says Sam H. Freeman.
“We share a love of neo-noir thrillers: films like Driveby Nicolas Winding Refn, or those of the Safdie brothers Good Time (Good Times. A night under tension in French) and Uncut Gems (Raw stones in French). But also classics by Martin Scorsese… Except that, as much as we loved these films, we felt excluded from them, as queer people: it was like a boys’ club individual whose access would be prohibited to us. These are very straight-macho cinematic universes… In discussing this reality, Ng and I also realized that in real life, these types of environments would be terrifying for queer men. »
Like a constant fear of being attacked, or worse, for who we are…
Gradually, Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping began to imagine their own version of queer neonoir. What would be the common thread? Who would be the protagonist?
Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping presented their idea to two producers they knew. The latter were enthusiastic, but offered to novice filmmakers, whose experience until then had only been in television, to prove themselves with a short film based on their concept.
The short in question was selected in a host of festivals, including South by Southwest (SXSW).
Fluctuating masculinities
When the time came to write the feature film, Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping realized that the short version had opened up unsuspected thematic avenues for them.
“The world of drag imposed itself on us because it offers an atypical representation of masculinity and femininity,” explains Sam H. Freeman. But suddenly we realized that most people, most men, are in one form or another of representing masculinity, often for the benefit of others, like Preston. This observation has become central. »
In the same breath, Sam H. Freeman reveals: “We also realized that the characters of Jules and Preston come together in their complicated relationship with sexuality and masculinity. It fascinated us, and we wanted to explore it in more depth. We also wanted to question ourselves more about what scares us, as queer men. »
“We very consciously gave ourselves the mandate not to write a story in black and white, but rather in shades of gray,” says Ng Choon Ping. While legitimately wanting to regain the intimate power that was stolen from him during the attack, Jules ventures into very dark psychological areas and develops a very murky plan… And on a narrative level, this darkness is both disturbing and captivating. » Captivating, because they induce tension.
“Suspense is inherent to the genre, and we needed to identify our own sources of suspense,” opines Sam H. Freeman.
One of these sources of suspense lies in the fact that Jules, by interfering in Preston’s life, plunges into an environment where toxic masculinity is displayed and constant violence reigns. If it is discovered, Jules risks a lot.
Ambivalent revenge
On the other hand, audiences will quickly wonder how far Jules is willing to go. Will he go all the way or will he stop along the way? There too, there is tension.
“This desire for ambiguity as to the purpose of Jules’ plan was there from the outset,” notes Ng Choon Ping. And I would say that it arises from our own ambivalence towards the notion of revenge. Is this moral? On the one hand, revenge is very satisfying, because it represents a fantasy of justice. But on the other hand, revenge is complicated, because justice is complicated. The closer Jules gets to his goal, the closer he gets to the humanity of his target, of Preston…”
By playing a double game, the line between “fake attraction” and “real desire” becomes more and more blurred for Jules. Here, we almost touch on a form of Stockholm syndrome.
“Little by little, as Jules begins to “play” a masculinity similar to that of Preston for the purposes of his plan, he increases his influence over Preston. In doing so, he reverses the initial relationship of domination. Jules’ growing power over Preston in turn increases his attraction to the person who initially reduced him to impotence,” summarizes Ng Choon Ping.
Adds Sam H. Freeman: “Without wanting to openly break taboos, we were aware of addressing certain very delicate issues. We tried to create something that seemed real and credible to us, accepting that the exercise could be uncomfortable at times. We wanted a film that would be beautiful and ugly, logical and chaotic; which would be like life as we know it. »
The film “Femme” will be presented exclusively at the Modern cinema.