With the release of some of my favorite films in 2024, Luca Guadagnino not only brought a fun love triangle of tennis players in “Challengers” (previously reviewed in The Winonan) but also showed a much more emotional, deeper, and profound film with a mix of his subtler tones, such as “Call me by your name,” and more creepy and bodily experiences, such as “Bones and All.”
“Queer” released in the end stretch of 2024, was the second film released by Guadagnino in the year, based on the 1985 novella of the same name by William S. Burroughs. The main plot is about William Lee, played by Daniel Craig, living as an American expatriate in Mexico City and falling into complete infatuation and love for a younger man, Eugene Allerton, played by Drew Starkey. From there on, we see the couple engage in physical intimacy. Still, Eugene does not seem committed to this relationship fully without worry, leading to William questioning Eugene, asking if he is even queer or if he does not accept his identity.
The film takes almost a mystical turn throughout the middle of its duration, when William invites Eugene on a trip down to South America in the hope of finding yagé, a plant said to offer the ability of telepathy. This converts the film into a surrealist picture where yearning and love are seen in a lot more physical and even hallucinatory states. Around the last 20 minutes of the film, this film hits its maximum surrealism, and while it might not be everybody’s taste, I enjoyed this part the most and felt as if it was something not seen very frequently in film.
Almost as if the movie were a moving painting, we see a scene where William and Eugene melt into each other, almost in a body horror way. The “almost” is when you realize that this is how it feels to be in love and in such a yearning state towards others. A way to show this emotion in such a raw and almost grotesque picture is what makes it so different from everything else, and makes the audience realize that even though our main character was so entranced and in love with Eugene, this is how love and longing can feel at its maximum level. The scene makes for what I believe to be one of the times where a scenario has stuck with me for a long time after watching the film.
Daniel Craig does an incredible portrayal of William Lee, being one of my favorite performances of last year, as well as being one of the most snubbed ones in the award season. As a seasoned actor, Daniel Craig brings multi-layer depth to the character, and with such a large age-gap between our main characters, there was a really thin line between what is appreciation and love, and what is creepiness and disgusting. Craig was able to keep this line on the right side, and with the new into the game star Drew Starkey, it made for an incredible relationship.
Finally, and in a short note, the cinematography and visuals of the film are astonishing. Every time you see one of Guadagnino’s films, you can only except for some of the most beautiful and mesmerizing shots, both of landscapes and buildings, as well as of the characters on screen. This, with the very intense styling of the 1950s and exceptional clothing from the time, brings the audience back to a place that is not usually seen and keeps the standard of Guadagnino’s films up,
“Queer” is now available on the streaming service Max, and I recommend it to anyone reading.
