Queer Review: LFF 2024
Luca Guadagnino channels William S Burroughs at the height of hedonism in Queer
In post second world war Mexico expat William Lee (Daniel Craig) is a man of leisure, wasting his days away drinking, doing drugs and hooking up with younger men in a city that seems to have a thriving gay scene. After a chance encounter he becomes entranced by the handsome, clean-cut Gene (Drew Starkey) and begins pursuing something with him. Part of the attraction is Gene’s mystery – while all Lee usually has to do is exchange a heated gaze with someone across a crowded bar and they’ll be naked in a hotel room half an hour later – with Gene it is never really clear what he wants or who he’s interested in. Though he’s definitely at least curious about Lee.
As the two start to spend more and more time together Lee makes Gene an indecent proposal. He wants the younger man to accompany him on a trip through South America, all expenses paid, in exchange for the occasional hook up. As the two travel through Ecuador Lee becomes considerably less fun to be around as he goes through heroin withdrawal, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of taking hallucinogenics. Eventually Lee convinces Gene to join him on a trek into the rainforest to take ayahuasca together, and the two men have a transformative experience.
Adapted from an ‘unfilmable’ novel by William S Burroughs which I admittedly haven’t read, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer is much in the same vein as Hunter S Thompsons Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It feels like the work of a Guadagnino who is utterly uninterested in mainstream success with this outing – the opening half is by far his horniest movie yet yes, but as it goes on it also becomes his most surreal work, most akin to his 2018 remake of Suspiria and a thousand miles from Call Me By Your Name or Challengers.
Craig gives a fearless, committed performance and is really put through the ringer, whilst Starkey is beautifully enigmatic but never really gets the character development to be anything more than a handsome mystery and device upon which Lee can project his loneliness and desires. A particular stand out is a hilarious supporting role from Jason Schwartzman as Lee’s friend Joe, a sloppy day drinker who keeps getting robbed by his hook ups. By far the most bizarre turn comes from Lesley Manville’s jungle dwelling, gun toting Dr Cotter – a delightfully unhinged role for an actor so traditionally poised.
Queer does feel like it lacks a narrative drive, its story meandering around like a hazy drug trip without ever feeling like it has an urgency to get us anywhere in particular. Packed full of cryptic symbolism that might only make sense if you’re high when you watch it, it’s not a particularly engaging watch even if it is a very stylish one.
Guadagnino’s work is, as usual, stunning to look at as he captures some of his most beautiful frames yet. The scene composition and production design often has a surreal, other worldly look to it, with brightly hued, sun-soaked backgrounds looking like they could have been lifted out of a Salvador Dali painting. The sets have a sort of intentional artificiality to them, like the whole picture has been lifted out of a dream.
The score comes from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross who orchestrate a melancholy, industrially electronic sound throughout. Punching through are contemporary songs used to highlight story beats in this otherwise period picture. I could never quite make up my mind on if they worked or not – but a scene where linen suit clad Craig prowls the Mexico City streets looking for a date while Nirvana blasts in the background is certainly memorable.
Perhaps more style than substance this is nevertheless a challenging, brave piece of work from the continually masterful Luca Guadagnino. An erotic, hypnotic, disturbing fever dream of a film; it’s an absolutely magnetic piece of work from Daniel Craig.
Queer is playing as part of the BFI London Film Festival 2024. It will be released in cinemas on 27th November 2024
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