I’m a huge Luca Guadagnino fan. I have always found his work to be visually stimulating while cutting through the complexities of human emotions. We see this in his in drama like Challengers or Call Me by Your Name. and even when h e filters intimacy through the lens of the paranormal or supernatural, like in Suspiria and Bones and All. There is a sensuality to his filmmaking that really gets my attention. Because of this, I am always eager to see what new thing he puts out, even if it is less than stellar, as was in the case with After the Hunt, which I still enjoyed but not as much as the others.
Naturally, my anticipation for Queer was incredibly hight. When I saw it, I was completely unaware that the film was an adaptation of a William S. Burroughs novella. While I have previously read some of Burroughs’ essays and watched the film adaptation of Naked Lunch, which was based on his landmark novels, not realising the source material here left me entirely unprepared for the for the emotional coldness of the characters and the deeply trippy third act of the film.
Set in the 1950s Mexico City, Queer follows William Lee (Daniel Craig), an American expatriate who spends his days and nights drifting through bars and sleeping with younger men. His routine was disrupted when he meets Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a. younger American expat and recently discharged serviceman. William quickly becomes infatuated with Allergen and follows him around, trying to get his affection. While the tow men form a bond, Allerton remains intentionally distant, insisting he does not view his own sexuality in the same “queer” light as William’s. In order to push their relationship further, the drug-addicted William convinces Allerton to join him on a journey search for a psychotropic plant that promises telepathic communication and a higher state of consciousness.
What is so striking about Queer is how Guadagnino alongside cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and regular collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Rose working on the musical score, captures the profound loneliness of older gay men, particularly during that era. It is a time that offered them no recourse for building a traditional home or family. Ostracized and despised in their homeland, they often sought solace in foreign countries to enjoy the shield of anonymity, escaping the burden of bringing shame upon themselves or their families. On the surface, William lives vicariously, talks big, and projects an aura of sophistication at every turn; beneath it all, however, he is a lonely man. Guadagnino and his team are so precise in how they translate this internal desolation onto the screen for all of us to witness.
Craig is incredible – throwing himself into the role with so much commitment that one completely forgets he ever played James Bond (and he is easily my personal favourite Bond). There is a palpable neediness to the way he looks at Drew Starkey’s Allerton, who does a solid job of standing on his own two feet opposite an acting powerhouse like Craig on the opposite side of the screen. The tension between them is electric, and continues to highlight the epidemic of loneliness that a forced relationship and mind-altering drugs appear to be the only recourse William has left to feel whole.
Watching Queer serves as a poignant reminder of how precarious a gay man’s life can be, even in the modern world. It explores how one can conflate sex with true emotional intimacy, and that sometimes, just being able to hold someone is a far more powerful act than a sexual one. The film’s incredible, hallucinogenic third-act trip that William and Allerton take becomes a metaphor for something deeply abstract – what a relationship needs to feel like for persecuted people like queer people are. Ultimately, this melding of bodies stands as a striking form of pure intimacy.
It is a categorically sad film and a stark reminder of what it means to feel rejected and isolated from the rest of the world. Yet, despite its cold and distant nature, Queer remains a beautiful film. What I saw on the screen is a portent of a long, frightening life of being alone as a gay man. It is not a pretty picture, but then again, not all of art has to be.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
What are your thoughts on Luca Guadagnino’s haunting new vision? Whether you caught the film or are just following Wanggo’s cinematic reviews, drop a comment to share your take on Daniel Craig’s fearless performance and this devastating portrait of isolation.
