Queer: LFF Film Review
I thought I knew what to expect from Luca Guadagnino‘s Queer but the trippy second half took me quite by surprise – and not in a good way.
Based on William S. Burroughs‘ semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, Queer follows American expat William Lee (Daniel Craig) as he wanders around bars in 1940s Mexico City, getting very drunk, chatting to his pal Joe (Jason Schwartzman) and picking up young men. He becomes infatuated with Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a discharged American Navy serviceman who isn’t looking for a big commitment.
The film, which reunites Guadagnino with his Challengers writer Justin Kuritzkes, is split into three chapters plus an epilogue. The first one is easily the strongest. Guadagnino creates a seedy, grimy environment which our sweaty alcoholic and drug addict inhabits and it’s interesting watching Lee go about the city and connect with various men. The sex scenes have been overhyped – perhaps people got too excited about Craig in a same-sex scenario but they were relatively tame and brief compared to other on-screen depictions of gay sex.
The story lost me in the third chapter when Lee and Allerton go to the South American jungle to try ayahuasca. I knew we’d see some trippy visuals after they take the hallucinogenic drug, but I didn’t expect the rest of the film to continue this surrealist vibe. It gets really weird, super slow, and the lines blur between what’s real and what’s not. Going from a straightforward dramatic story to an experimental one caught me off-guard. Pick one or the other; don’t switch halfway through.
Craig’s roles during and post-Bond have been intriguing and this is no exception. He inhabits the desperately lonely Lee convincingly and is fascinating to watch. He deeply wants and needs more than an on-off sexual relationship with Allerton and you can really feel his longing for contact, connection and reciprocation. Starkey is perfect physically in that he’s young and gorgeous but Allerton doesn’t do very much. He blows hot and cold with Lee and never articulates his feelings so he’s a mystery.
There are some incredible supporting turns that deserve a mention. Schwartzman is hilarious as Lee’s close friend and fellow queer man Joe – he made me laugh a lot – and Lesley Manville is unrecognisable and very odd as the greasy-haired ayahuasca expert Dr. Cotter.
I basically liked the parts of Queer that followed Burroughs’ book (chapters 1 and 2) and disliked the imagined parts (most of chapter 3 and the epilogue) because of their hallucinatory nature and meandering pace. What an unexpectedly wild ride!
Seen at the London Film Festival. In cinemas from Friday 13th December
Please note: This review was updated with minimal edits after a second viewing in December.