QUEER (2024)

 

Directed by: Luca Guadagnino

Written By: Justin Kuritzkes

Based On The Novel By: William S. Burroughs 

Cinematography: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom 

Editor: Marco Costa 

Cast: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Ariel Schulman, Andra Ursata, Omar Apollo, David Lowery

In 1950s Mexico City, an American immigrant in his late forties leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student stirs the man into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.

This is director Luca Guadagnino’s second film released this year and while not making its mark as strong as his previous film of the year CHALLENGERS. It does offer another look into relationships and the destructive characters within them. It’s also another random adaptation for the director. Making a film from a legendary cult writer and book.

It was like going on a trip that ends up more as a journey and never quite knowing where it will Lead. Then being a guest in this limited epic. While witnessing a love story you want to see work, but ultimately see the cracks and the doom, but still holding out hope.

This film seems to be like the author of the book William S. Burroughs's writings that could be episodic linear more stream of consciousness at times and little short stories that didn’t really have plots and were more like chronicles, but with all the names changed.

As the film works in different stages, either way, we get to know the lead character played by Daniel Craig, and the fact that he just seems lonely in various ways he tries to rectify that through the company of others, both physically emotionally, and socially. With excessive alcohol and always a pistol by his side, truly his only constant companion. He is also a functioning junkie in the first part of the film. We see his romance with a young man and all his longing for this young man and how it plays out it’s truly beautiful how he tries to court him when we see vague images of what he wishes, he could do to him alone like touching his face in a movie theater or stroking his hair.

The next part of the film seems to focus more on the drug addiction of the character. Now he has fallen in love with this young man, and the young man seems somewhat interested in him, but is emotionally absent to him that’s deepening his drug addiction. 

The next part is when they decide to take a trip together on the search for an elusive flower, and that journey into the jungles and Amazon, and how once it does, it provides quite a unique experience that deepens both of them, but also the rest of the film is more Jumps around and it truly starts to get into the more surrealistic images and hallucinogenic images where it goes more for the visuals and at this point either you’re with the film or you're not.

This is an easy film to try and break down and explain you can bring up certain plot points, and things that happen and still never quite get to the point of the film or what you’re watching those films as an audience member you have to experience it and come out with your own meaning like it or not. As with its author and his writing, it’s not easily explained.

The film just seems to go along on its own journey, never rushed and never quite on the path you expect but at heart it is a love story that no matter what is timeless and easily identifiable.

The soundtrack includes a lot of the music of NIRVANA and PRINCE. One wonders if it is partially because of the past collaborations between the author of the book and the film is based upon William S. Burroughs and NIRVANA lead singer Kurt Cobain, but also a way to show they art can be timeless. Especially if it evokes a certain mood and atmosphere that is personal, identifiable, and universal in a sense.

Just like the title most of us know what Queer means to most, but here while it has its brushes with what most believe. It also goes out of its way to not be easily definable. It can be a title but never quite an entire identity. As so many have their own definitions of it. So just like the characters this film refuses to be one thing or ride along one wavelength. 

Grade: B