SEDUCTION IS REVENGE.

After getting assaulted, a drag performer (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) hangs up his wig and becomes a recluse… then one day, in a gay sauna, he spots the young guy (George Mackay) who beat him up.

In their feature film debut, the directors developed a short film they made in 2021, exploring the dynamic between tormentor and victim: when is the time to avenge, when is the time to forgive? The two leads are entirely believable as flamboyant drag queen turned timid homebody and criminal bully whose mates would kill him if they knew the truth.

Positions shift in this power game that becomes dark, tense and honest.

2023-U.K. 99 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed by Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping. Cast: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Jules), George Mackay (Preston), Aaron Heffernan (Oz), John McCrea, Asha Reid, Peter Clements.

Last word: “I think, rightly, the fashion for queer stories is moving toward prioritizing positive experiences, queer joy, and empowerment. But at the same time, have we all not encountered that person that we think we could fix, and we just experienced lots of trauma in going through that? I don’t know how consciously that went into it, but certainly, there is authenticity in how we feel about their relationship. You know, Jules is obviously the agent of change, the protagonist, and the one pushing forward action. But the thing that’s tugging away at him and that is complicating his revenge is the inevitable humanity of the villain.” (Ping, Flickering Myth)