Luca Guadagnino’s second film this year after Challengers is Queer another twisted love story starring Daniel Craig as a tortured gay man living in a post war Mexico City. Troughing tequila, dabbling with drugs and cruising for cock, it’s as far removed from James Bond as might be possible and perhaps the whole reason for him taking the role flexing his acting chops admirably .
Based on William S Burroughs semi autobiographical novel its sees Craig as Bill Lee who spends his days eyeing up the male talent in a bid to bed them. There’s something of the sexual predator about him albeit for other gay men who seem equally seem to be on the look out for easy lays too. And in that regard its Eugene ( Drew Starkey) who catches his eye and vice versa. Eugene frequently sits with a red haired woman who may or may not be his girlfriend but catches Bill’s eye holding a look maybe a moment longer than necessary that might signal an attraction. Eventually they do close the deal pairing up for an extended and graphic love scene that’s a bold move for a star such as Craig and a mainstream film such as this.
Split into chapters the film sees them both go a quest into the depths of the jungle to meet a gun toting , verbally abusive, physically intimidating ‘chemist’ with an hallucinogenic that enables the taker to unlock telepathic powers. It’s certainly the sort of chemist that’s never going to work behind the counter of Boots and it all leads to a psychedelic sort of mind meld and trippy body morph akin to the ending of 80’s horror flick, ‘Society’ as they literally lose themselves in each other.
With a bold performance from Craig the film is also very much a typically Guadagnino film with experimental flourishes that often are quite brilliant notably his use of modern music such a Nirvana set to a low–mo sequence as Bill follows Eugene down the street. There’s also good support from Jason Scwhartzman as his friend Joe also on the look out for laissaez-faire love and often finding himself the victim of theft once his latest conquest has left. And then there’s Lesley Manville and like Schwartzman she is completely unrecognizable and owns every scene she’s in as the chemist.
As 150 minutes Queer is overlong though but is as visually inventive as Guadagnino always is but the novels of William Burroughs have always been a challenge to translate to screen for the best of directors as Cronenberg found with his own adaptation of The Naked Lunch and it’s no different here in what is an often meandering tale.
related feature : Daniel Craig’s final moment on the No Time To Die set…
related feature : ‘Red White and Royal Blue’ World premiere at London’s IMAX as introduced by director Matthew Lopez
Here’s the Queer trailer …….
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