Queer (2024)

Luca Guadagnino’s second film of this year, Queer creates a setting that visually enthralls the audience just to completely shatter their view of the film, and it is beautiful.

Queer follows William Lee, played by Daniel Craig, as he navigates his desires in 1950s Mexico City. Lee struggles with building emotional and physical connections with other homosexual men, or men in general. However, this changes once he meets Eugene Allerton, played by Drew Starkey, and the two develop a strange relationship with each other. Along with love, Lee also struggles with many addictions, ranging from cigarettes to heroin. While a story this complex seems intimidating to portray on screen, the film is told masterfully through the writing, the acting, and the entrancing visuals.

Justin Kuritzkes’ writing is the first pillar in piecing Queer together. This is his second time working with Guadagnino, with Kurtitzkes writing the screenplay for Challengers, which came out early this year. In that film, audiences got just a sliver of what Kurtizkes has to offer as a writer, with Challengers being an original screenplay. Queer is adapted from a novella with the same title by William S. Burroughs, and though I have not read the original story as of writing this, I think that Kurtizkes does a phenomenal job at immediately throwing audience into the setting of this film. There is not much dialogue in the beginning, but the small details and movements make up for it. Another feature of the writing that is very simple but effective is dividing the film into chapters. I always love when films do that, especially films adapted from books. It helps to pay homage to the original form of the story, and I think that is sweet. It also helps to chunk the film into sections, allowing for a tonal shift to make sense in the context of the story.

The writing is beautifully portrayed onto the screen by the stellar performances by the cast. Daniel Craig is truly the standout in this film. He takes so small details about William Lee as a character and makes them grander. Lee feels so well rounded compared to some depictions of gay men seen in media. We see him feel secure with his relationship with Eugene, but then he’ll immediately feel betrayed and insecure due to Eugene’s flakiness. Another part of his performance I adore is the physicality of it. From the moment Lee shows up on screen, his insecurity is so noticeable that it’s almost embarrassing. Just the smallest movement says so much about Lee’s identity and his self-doubts. This also comes through when it is seen just how bad his addictions are; how much of a toll it takes on him. Those awkward traits from before are seen in a completely different light once the audience knows he is a “junkie”.

I also want to highlight some of the supporting roles in Queer, because they are just as amazing. Drew Starkey is stellar at showcasing just how illusive and mysterious Eugene is to Lee. He just exudes that sexy, sultry vibe that a young (possibly) queer man would have to someone in Lee’s situation. It’s really breathtaking how much he does by doing so little, but in a completely different way than Craig does with his performance. I also have to talk about Jason Schwartzman’s performance in this film, because he was such a breath of fresh air any time he was on screen. His character was the perfect amount of goofy, but not too goofy as to throw off the tone of the film. Every time I saw him I knew I would chuckle.

The final part of Queer that I want to highlight is just how visually stunning it is. Luca Guadagnino is known for the beauty in his films, which is probably why he continues to work with Sayombhu Mukdeeprom in many of his projects. The setting is so visually stunning and colorful that you don’t want to look away, almost entrancing you by its beauty and detail. Someone on Letterboxd put it best when they described how Luca Guadagnino portrays bodies on screen like no one else, and this film is no exception. From the phantom hands touching Eugene at different points to Lee and Eugene essentially melding together during their drug trip in the jungle, the film showcases how desperate Lee is for both physical and emotional connection. He wants to touch Eugene but cannot bring himself to out of fear. He is so fascinated by telepathy because he wants to understand how people feel about him. Their bodies melding together is the only time they will have real connection with one another, and it didn’t even really happen. All of this shows just how masterfully everything about this film goes together to tell this insanely complex story on the big screen. If you have not already, go see Queer in theaters, and be prepared to be moved.

Also, the “Come As You Are” by Nirvana needle drop might just be the most amazing thing I have ever seen on screen. That’s all!