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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
Queer is Luca Guadagino’s second film of the year following Challengers, reuniting him with several of his collaborators from that project. Once again, Justin Kuritzkes provides the screenplay, this time adapting William S. Burroughs’s novella, also titled Queer. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Call By Your Name, Suspiria) serves as the cinematographer, marking the fourth collaboration with Guadagino and Mukdeeprom’s third film of the year after the latter’s work on Challengers and Trap. Finally, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross crafted the score for this film. While it is not entirely fair to compare this film to Challengers, it is inevitable to do so.
If Challengers is slick, propulsive, and energetic, then Queer is its messy, dirty, gloomy cousin. To be clear, this is not a bad thing, but if you are going into this expecting something brisk and hot like Challengers, then you will not have a good time. Queer is very much its own film. Although, the two films do have similar interests, mostly in the complications that arise in relationships and the openness they have in depicting sex.
Queer follows William Lee (Daniel Craig), an older gay man, and Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a younger Vet, as they meet in 1950s Mexico City and begin a queer relationship. Eugene’s sexuality is rather unclear to Lee despite engaging in sexual relations a few times. Eugene is often cold and dismissive towards Lee. Yet, the two characters continue their relationship, which is neither quite romantic nor friendly; it’s essentially a “situationship”.
Heartbreaking Performance
Queer is truly anchored by Craig’s performance as William Lee. It’s oddly similar to his performance in Knives Out and Glass Onion, in that Lee is rather goofy, and it’s Craig doing a fun voice at times. However, all these characteristics are performative as there is a deep sadness underlying it all. He is heartbreaking to watch and conveys so much with just his eyes. Craig feels like the perfect fit for the role and delivers one of the best performances of the year.
Opposite of Craig is Starkey as Eugene Allerton. Starkey gives a much more reserved performance but with an air of mystery and intrigue that makes it easy to see why Lee becomes so infatuated and obsessed with him. When required, Starkey brings warmth and kindness to his performance in the more intimate moments. The two characters have an undeniable chemistry but also play the emotional distance between them so well. It feels very realistic.
The rest of the cast is mostly made up of minor actors in small parts. Notably, artist Omar Apollo makes an appearance at the start of the film in a very sexy role; and Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City, FX’s Fargo) plays Joe, one of Lee’s few friends in Mexico City. Schwartzman is unrecognizable thanks to some incredible makeup. The actor is as hilarious as Joe and provides some much-needed levity after all the heaviness and meandering of the narrative.
A Journey Through South America
Narratively, Queer is simple. Lee and Allerton meet and have a few dates (for lack of a better term), with some pushback from Allerton, before agreeing to go on a road trip through South America. That is a pretty simple narrative framework, but there is tons more going on, especially as the third act takes a very different turn from the rest of the film. It still feels like a natural extension of everything else going on but can initially be a bit off-putting.
The longing Lee feels for Allerton is constantly felt through every frame as they meet. The film spends quite a lot of time sitting in certain moments to let the feeling wash over the viewer. As they further south and deeper into the jungle, their relationship also becomes deeper and more complicated. Add on top a sprinkling of surreal imagery, and you get a film that can be hard to parse, especially as it’s hard to get a clear read on Allerton. It’s an effective choice to place the viewer in Lee’s shoes, desperate to understand Allerton and why he continues to journey with Lee.
As mentioned above, Guadagino incorporates a lot of surreal imagery in the third act. This enhances all the feelings of Lee and the viewer and is probably the most off-putting part of the film. At the same time, it is so necessary to the story and how Guadagino chooses to tell it. These images can easily communicate massive, painful feelings with such ease that they instantly tell the viewer everything they need to know if they are willing to engage with the film on those terms. Of course, it’s not perfect. Sometimes, it feels like a shot lingers too long, and by the end of the film, it is exhausting. Several points feel like they could have been the end of the movie. Then again, the final moments of the film are so worth it and comprise some of the most emotionally devastating of the year.
The Verdict on Luca Guadagnino’s Queer
Everything else in Queer is top-notch. Reznor and Ross deliver a very ambient score that perfectly complements the emotion of the elements put together. Not to mention, there is a great soundtrack full of wonderful needle drops, including Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”. Next to that, Mukdeeprom shoots everything so gorgeously. Perhaps, its weakest link is the CG in some parts, which feels highly inauthentic. It seems like an intentional choice to accentuate the dream logic of some of the movies, but one that does not fully work, considering how great some of the physical sets look.
In the end, Queer doesn’t feel fully thought out and is a bit of a mess narratively. Despite that, the film is deeply moving thanks to a strong lead performance and beautifully shot sequences worth seeking out.
Score: 4/5
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.