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Timeline

Femme (2024) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2024 · 1 h 39 m · English
Echo score 72
Directed by
Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping
Starring
George MacKay, John McCrea, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Lasco Atkins, Antonia Clarke, Aaron Heffernan

After a successful show, rising drag star Jules, known as Aphrodite Banks, is viciously attacked by a gang, leaving him shaken and struggling with his identity. The brutal assault leaves a lasting impact, forcing him to confront the fragility of his confidence and the challenges of navigating London's vibrant drag scene.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (14)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Femme
  5. 5 Every angle

14 events in order · contains spoilers

Femme Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Femme (2024) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Jules finishes his drag show and searches for cigarettes

    Jules finishes his drag performance at an East London nightclub and steps outside to smoke. Realising he is out of cigarettes, he scans the street. He notices Preston watching him from a distance before Preston abruptly leaves.

    When
    Night (after the show)
    Where
    East London nightclub, outside
  2. Confrontation in the convenience shop and the assault

    In the convenience shop, Jules in full drag encounters Preston and his friends who hurl homophobic slurs at him. Jules accuses Preston of checking him out, which enrages him. Preston follows Jules out of the shop and brutally assaults him.

    When
    That evening
    Where
    Outside a convenience shop in London
  3. Three months later: Jules withdraws from nightlife

    Three months pass and Jules has stopped performing drag, retreating from the nightlife scene. He becomes reclusive, rarely leaving his home. The distance from the incident marks a hardening change in his life.

    When
    Three months after the assault
    Where
    Jules' home, London
  4. Jules visits a gay sauna and runs into Preston

    One night Jules goes to a gay sauna and spots Preston, who does not recognise him out of drag. He follows Preston to the changing room, where Preston invites him back to his flat and Jules accepts. They have sex, but Preston's friends arrive and interrupt.

    When
    The same night
    Where
    Gay sauna; Preston's flat
  5. Jules borrows the hoodie and makes contact

    Back at Preston's flat, Jules borrows the fake designer hoodie Preston wore during the assault and uses it to pass as someone buying drugs. He leaves after the ruse, but not before giving Preston his phone number.

    When
    That night
    Where
    Preston's flat
  6. Jules decides to film their sex and post online

    Jules resolves to exact revenge by filming their encounters and posting the footage online. He secretly records their sexual interactions and begins sharing them, complicating their relationship.

    When
    Following the initial encounters
    Where
    Jules' home / online
  7. Jules and Preston's relationship deepens

    Jules starts dating Preston and they have sex multiple times, with Preston enjoying dominating Jules. Their dynamic shifts between intimacy and control as they grow closer.

    When
    Over the next weeks
    Where
    Various locations around London
  8. Preston spies filming and confiscates the footage

    On one occasion, Preston notices Jules filming their encounter and grabs Jules's phone, deleting the footage. After a moment of anger, he calms down and they resume their relationship and have sex again.

    When
    Later that night
    Where
    Preston's flat
  9. A night with Preston's friends and a bar outing

    One night, Preston's friends interrupt their plans and invite Jules to spend time with them. Jules flirts and teases Preston throughout the night, eventually leading them back to Jules's house where he dominates Preston again. They film their encounter with Preston's consent.

    When
    That night
    Where
    Bar with Preston's friends; Jules's house
  10. The birthday party and drag performance

    The next day, Preston has breakfast with Jules's roommates, who invite him to Jules's birthday drag show. Preston gives a present to Jules's roommate to pass on, unaware he's in the audience. Jules performs in drag that night, telling a story about a 'gay basher' he seduced, not realising Preston is in attendance.

    When
    The birthday day and night
    Where
    Jules's apartment; drag show venue
  11. Preston realises Jules is the drag queen from the assault

    During the show, Preston realises Jules is the drag queen who assaulted him months earlier and the shock overwhelms him. He becomes overwhelmed and panics.

    When
    During the birthday show
    Where
    Audience / backstage area
  12. Preston ambushes Jules backstage

    Preston ambushes Jules backstage, threatening him and demanding to know who has seen the footage. Jules explains that he has not shown anyone and has changed his mind after getting to know Preston.

    When
    Immediately after the discovery
    Where
    Backstage at the venue
  13. The fight and Preston's breakdown

    The two engage in a violent fight that ends with Preston nearly strangling Jules. Preston collapses in tears and lets Jules go.

    When
    During the confrontation
    Where
    Backstage area
  14. Jules leaves, finds the gift on his bed

    Battered and bloodied, Jules leaves Preston and returns home. He finds Preston's gift-wrapped hoodie on his bed, a symbolic twist that contrasts with the fake hoodie he wore earlier.

    When
    After the fight
    Where
    Jules's home

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:13

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Timeline questions answered

Femme Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Femme (2024): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Jules decide to seduce Preston instead of reporting the assault to police?

Jules chooses revenge through personal confrontation rather than legal action, likely because reporting a hate crime as a drag queen could expose him to further discrimination and stigma. By seducing Preston, Jules gains power over his attacker in a way the legal system might not provide, transforming from victim to manipulator.

  • jules
  • preston
  • revenge
  • assault
  • police
  • drag queen
Q2

How does Preston not recognize Jules at the sauna when they meet months later?

Preston only saw Jules in full drag as Aphrodite Banks. Out of drag, Jules appears as a completely different person with a different look, voice, and demeanor. Preston had no reason to suspect the random man at the sauna was the drag queen he attacked, making recognition impossible.

Foreshadowing: The earlier scene shows Preston watching Jules in drag from afar, establishing he only knows the drag persona.

  • preston
  • recognition
  • drag
  • sauna
  • identity
Q3

Why does Jules film his sexual encounters with Preston?

Jules initially plans to film their encounters and post the footage online as part of his revenge plot. By exposing Preston's sexual identity publicly, Jules intends to humiliate the man who attacked him, using Preston's own secret homosexuality against him.

  • jules
  • filming
  • revenge
  • sex
  • footage
  • online
Q4

What happens to the footage Jules films of Preston?

Preston discovers Jules filming one night and deletes the footage from Jules's phone in anger. Later, Jules films again with Preston's consent during a different encounter. However, Jules ultimately decides not to post any of the footage online after getting to know Preston personally.

Foreshadowing: The deleted footage creates tension but doesn't stop Jules from continuing his revenge plot secretly.

  • footage
  • video
  • deleted
  • phone
  • posted
Q5

Why does Jules decide not to post the revenge video online?

After developing a genuine relationship with Preston, Jules reconsidered his plan. He explains to Preston that he hadn't shown anyone and changed his mind after getting to know him personally, showing Jules's revenge motivation evolved into something more complicated as genuine feelings developed.

  • jules
  • video
  • posting
  • revenge
  • relationship
  • feelings
Q6

What does the hoodie represent in the story and why are there two?

Jules steals Preston's fake designer hoodie during their first meeting at his flat, using it as part of his disguise to buy drugs and escape. At the end, Preston gives Jules an authentic designer hoodie as a gift, replacing the fake one. This swap symbolizes Preston's acknowledgment of Jules and potentially his attempt at reconciliation.

Foreshadowing: The fake hoodie Jules takes is the same one Preston wore during the assault, making it a symbol of the attack.

  • hoodie
  • fake
  • real
  • designer
  • gift
  • symbolism
Q7

How does Preston discover Jules is Aphrodite Banks?

Preston attends Jules's birthday party, not knowing Jules will perform in drag. During the show, Jules tells the story of a 'gay basher' he seduced while in full drag as Aphrodite Banks. Preston realizes this describes him and the assault, exposing Jules's true identity.

  • preston
  • discovery
  • identity
  • drag
  • birthday
  • performance
Q8

Why does Preston break down crying after attacking Jules backstage?

Preston becomes overwhelmed when confronting Jules about who has seen the footage. During the struggle, he nearly strangles Jules but collapses into tears instead. His breakdown suggests a combination of fear about exposure, guilt for his violence, and the emotional weight of discovering the person he attacked was someone he'd formed a genuine connection with.

  • preston
  • crying
  • breakdown
  • guilt
  • emotional
  • confrontation
Q9

Why does Jules decide to perform drag again at his birthday party?

Jules performs for the first time since the assault, using his drag show to publicly tell the story of the 'gay basher' he seduced. This performance represents Jules reclaiming his identity and confidence as Aphrodite Banks, though it inadvertently reveals his revenge plot to Preston who is in the audience.

  • jules
  • drag
  • performance
  • birthday
  • reclaim
  • confidence
Q10

Why does Preston give Jules the real designer hoodie as a gift?

Preston leaves a wrapped gift for Jules at the birthday party containing an authentic designer hoodie to replace the fake one Jules had stolen. This gesture suggests Preston recognized the symbolic importance of the hoodie and wanted to offer some form of reconciliation or acknowledgment of what happened between them.

  • preston
  • gift
  • hoodie
  • designer
  • reconciliation
Q11

What motivates Preston's violence and internal conflict throughout the film?

Preston exhibits signs of internalized homophobia, attacking Jules after being attracted to him while in drag. His group of friends use homophobia to perform masculinity, which Preston participates in to hide his own same-sex desires. This internal conflict drives his violent reaction and later his complicated relationship with Jules.

  • preston
  • internalized homophobia
  • violence
  • masculinity
  • attraction

Movie threads

More Movies Like Femme, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Femme tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Psychological revenge films like Femme

Stories of dangerous deception where the hunter gets close to their prey. If you were captivated by the dangerous undercover revenge plot in Femme, explore more movies where protagonists infiltrate the lives of their targets. These psychological thrillers share a tense atmosphere, complex power dynamics, and a steady pacing that builds towards a risky, emotionally charged confrontation.

  • revengeful
  • tense
  • dangerous
  • psychological
  • manipulative
  • claustrophobic
  • Tone: tense, dangerous, psychologically complex
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a character who, after a profound trauma or injustice, devises a plan for revenge that requires them to assume a false identity or get dangerously close to their perpetrator. The story unfolds as a tense cat-and-mouse game, often exploring the psychological toll on the avenger and the complex, sometimes volatile, relationship that forms with the target.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together by their core plot mechanism: an undercover revenge scheme. They share a high-intensity, tense tone rooted in the constant threat of discovery, a steady pacing that methodically builds suspense, and a heavy emotional weight stemming from trauma and morally complex choices.

Thrillers about trauma and identity similar to Femme

Psychological journeys through trauma that force a reckoning with one's own identity. For viewers who appreciated the heavy emotional exploration of trauma and identity in Femme, this group features thrillers where a character's psychological journey is the main focus. These movies blend tense, oppressive atmospheres with profound questions about self, often set against the backdrop of a distinct world or community.

  • oppressive
  • melancholic
  • anxious
  • lonely
  • psychological
  • heavy
  • Tone: tense, melancholic, psychologically heavy
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative begins with a traumatic event that shatters the protagonist's world and self-perception. The story follows their difficult, often isolating, path toward recovery or redefinition, which is complicated by external threats, societal pressures, or internal conflicts. The climax typically involves a confrontation that challenges their newfound or fragile identity.

Why they belong together: This thread connects films that balance the suspense of a thriller with the emotional depth of a character study. They share a heavy emotional weight, a tense or oppressive tone, and a central theme of navigating trauma while questioning one's identity, often leading to a bittersweet or complex resolution.

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Movies Like Femme

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Every angle

Femme (2024) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Femme in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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