14/28
In the 1950s in Mexico City, a forty-year-old American immigrant lives a lonely life in the middle of a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student prompts the man to finally establish a meaningful connection with someone. Daniel Craig was ultimately the one who convinced Luca Guadagnino to cast Drew Starkey after watching Guadagnino’s audition tapes and telling him “That’s the guy” after seeing Starkey. William Lee: Sit on your ass! Or what was left of him after four years in the Navy. The Graham Norton Show stars: Daniel Craig/Nicola Coughlan/Jesse Eisenberg/Kieran Culkin/Flo (2024). I’ve never seen ‘Naked Lunch’ (1991) but found myself thinking about it a lot during the screening of ‘Queer’ at the 2024 London Film Festival – probably to be expected as the source material for both films was provided by William S Burroughs . In Mexico in the 1950s, William Lee, an American writer who is on the wrong side of… the 1940s? Fifty? He spends his days getting drunk, shooting and having casual sex with other men. One day, Eugene, a muscular and intelligent young man, walks into a bar and Lee falls in love. But what does Eugene himself want? Plus there’s that telepathic thought drug… I’m not sure what director Luca Guadagnino is trying to achieve with this film, stylistically. The scenes are decorated almost entirely in solid colors (dull reds and olive greens, for example) and have that vaguely surreal, clean, technicolor look that made me think the intention was to pay homage to the era the film is set in. file. But if that’s the case, why the decidedly 1950s rock and techno soundtrack? Daniel Craig (is it my imagination or is he starting to sound like Sid James?) is limited in the lead role by constantly having to deliver gibberish in an accent that clearly isn’t his own. Drew Starkey is able to give a more nuanced performance as the manipulative Eugene and he definitely looks the part. Lesley Manville is unrecognizable as a doctor living in the South American jungle. Well done to the makeup team! This is the kind of film that feels more about art style than narrative substance. It was nice to see it once, but I won’t be watching it again.
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