QUEER
(director: Luca Guadagnino; screenwriters: Justin Kuritzkes/based on a William S. Burroughs novel; cinematographer: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom; editor: Marco Costa; music: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross; cast: Daniel Craig (William Lee), Drew Starkey (Eugene Allerton), Leslie Manville (Dr. Cotter), Jason Schwartzman (Joe), Lisandro Alonso (American botanist Mr. Cotter), David Lowery (Cameo, bar friend, Henrique Zaga (Winston Moor), Andrés Duprat (Dr. Hernandez), Ariel Shulman (Tom Weston), Drew Droege (John Dume), Colin Bates (Tom Williams); Runtime: 135; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Luca Guadagnino, Lorenzo Mieli; A24; 2024)
“Craig’s performance is crazy good.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Director Luca Guadagnino (“Challengers”/”Call Me By Your Name”) and writer Justin Kuritzkes aim for a tender love story based on William Burroughs’ fictionalized autobiographical novel published 30 years after written, in 1985. There are stunning dream sequences thanks to cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom to go along with a spicy narrative, some steamy sexual moments and a number of comical vignettes. But it’s hard to care much about the self-indulgent characters, even when they bare their souls. All these freaky dudes are looking for a quick fix to give their lives an artificial boost.
Portraying Burroughs is the character William Lee (Daniel Craig, the former Bond actor), as a former GI and American expat, in his late 40s, living indolently and cheaply in Mexico City in the 1950s. He boozes it up in the Ship Ahoy bar, smokes weed, uses heroin, and picks up men for casual sex. Lee becomes obsessed with one of his flings, the handsome ex-GI, Gene (Drew Starkey).
The lovers go on an exotic vacation to the South American jungle to try the hallucinogen yage, that supposedly provides the user telepathic powers. In a funny bit, they meet the gun-totin’ yage scientist (Lesley Manville).
The glasses wearing Lee dresses in a crumpled white suit, a hat, and openly carries around a pistol in his holster. He hangs out with a witty writer, an Allen Ginsberg-like figure named Joe (Jason Schwartzman).
Craig’s performance is crazy good, in a goofy film where Nirvana’s ‘All Apologies’ and their original ‘Come As You Are’ add the right musical tones to the film’s unmentionable queer charms.
It played at the Venice Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 9/29/2024 GRADE: B
dennisschwartzreviews.com