A key figure of the Beat Generation movement, author William S. Burroughs was known for his experimental and often controversial literature. Romantic drama Queer is based on his 1985 novella of the same name and is directed by Luca Guadagnino, a filmmaker that’s no stranger to a taboo topic himself. Set in 1950s Mexico City, the plot follows middle-aged American expat William Lee (Daniel Craig) who lives a lonely existence in and around his local bars. His spirits are lifted when young intellectual Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) arrives in town, but his pursuit of a meaningful connection is mired by his dependency to opioids.
Split into chapters, Guadagnino takes us through the text with bold and confident direction; he brings a vibrancy to the screen with his inventive camerawork and artistic flourishes. In the first act, he shoots with an acidic orange sheen that gives a sun-bleached seediness to the protagonist’s philandering. Lee’s barfly lifestyle feels sticky and uncomfortable, remedied by a heady cocktail of cigarettes, liquor, and heroin – it’s worth noting that homosexuality was illegal in the United States during this period so the director revisits the repressive concept of forbidden fruit through his central character. Scenes of solitude are beautifully illustrated, amplified by the film’s excellent score, devised by the winning combo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and a soundtrack of 80s and 90s music. As a relationship with Allerton develops and habits shift, a quest for spiritual enlightenment leads to a fantastical, drug-fuelled final act which allows the inspired storytelling to really come off the hinges.
Often after an actor leaves a big franchise behind, they spend time exploring very different roles and for Daniel Craig, this couldn’t be much further from his stint as secret service spy James Bond. As troubled addict William Lee, his suits are grubby and his martinis are dirty. On top of showing great vulnerability, Craig gives a transformative physical performance as his stature declines due to his intense afflictions. Starkey is fantastic too and represents the antithesis to Lee as Allerton; young, smart, handsome, stylishly aloof – he’s everything Lee wants to be and this forms the catalyst of his lustful obsession. A notable supporting turn comes from the reliably brilliant Leslie Manville. Just as the story threatens to lull, she injects a jolt of crazed energy into the piece as Dr. Cotter, an ayahuasca expert the pair encounter deep in the Ecuadorian jungle.
Though it is an adaptation of another man’s semi-autobiographical work, Queer’s narrative feels very personal to director Luca Guadagnino and there’s a visceral intimacy that comes with this. It’s a tenderly crafted soul-baring portrait of isolation and addiction and Daniel Craig is superb in the complex leading role, shaken and stirred by his dangerous desires.
Cinema Perspective 