Parents' Guide to Femme

While revenge stories can often fall victim to oversimplification, this powerful drama is complex, layered, and ambiguous, without ever loosening its grip on tension. Much of the impact comes from the two central performances in Femme, with both Stewart-Jarrett and MacKay fully embodying every inch of their characters as they move between anger, confusion, fear, and vulnerability in a dance of power, control, and guarded intimacy. Stewart-Jarrett is equally captivating when he steps into the high heels of drag alter-ego Aphrodite Bang -- the place he feels most powerful prior to a savage attack -- while outwardly thuggish MacKay's subtle expressions of a searching eye movement or brush of the hand on his lover's skin show a different person beneath the armor. The neon-filtered worlds of shadowy darkness are also intensely atmospheric, and a bright yellow hoodie takes on a visual and emotional significance that becomes yet another thing that stays with you after the credits roll. It all makes for a strong debut from writer-directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping.