Femme

It's been an excellent year for feature debuts so far with things like Past Lives and American Fiction, and the trend continues with this brutally gripping revenge thriller Nathan Stewart-Jarret - a familiar face on British TV, before appearing on the big screen in hits like Candyman - is Jules, a talented performer and drag artist whose life and identity are ruined one night in a sudden homophobic attack. Though perpetrated by a gang, the leader had caught Jules’ eye at the club earlier; this is Preston, a butch and straight-acting bully (George MacKay). Some time later, randomly meeting again at a gay sauna, it is Preston who appears not to realise and initiate an affair. But how much does he remember, and can Jules keep up the pretence and enact his gruesome vengeance? The toxic threat of violence and twisted identities look set to make this a heart-pounding watch.

Max King