Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey and Jason Schwartzman
‘A Magnificent Period Piece’
Not many actors in Hollywood have earned the recognition of Daniel Craig. Ever since his rise to stardom in the 1990’s, Craig has become a beloved icon. Whether it’s spies facing danger, detectives investigating murders or gay lovers, Craig has portrayed many strong characters. Arguably, Craig’s greatest strength as an actor has always been his strong commitment to his craft. He is one of those actors that has often poured his heart and soul into each and every role. Although he is best known for playing the iconic James Bond, Craig has proven he could make engaging movies in every genre. Craig is never afraid taking risks in his career depicting complex characters that aren’t often likeable. A British icon that has managed to accomplish impressive feats, Craig has become a beloved icon that audiences cherish. Through an ability to portray strong characters which audiences easily relate to, Craig has become an icon that audiences value. Throughout his strong career, Craig has appeared in many memorable films which are definitely without a doubt absolutely worth talking about.
Now, Craig is back on the big-screen and his strength as an actor that has built a powerful career is evident in his latest movie “Queer”. Released in 2024, Lucas Guadagnino’s film offered a powerful portrait of the burden that queer people bear. Packed with breathtaking production-design, engaging storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s one of the best movies of the year. At the centre of it all is a fantastic performance by Daniel Craig, who portrays a sexually frustrated queer man which seeks to discover his sexuality. Although “Queer” is an engaging period piece, it isn’t a flawless film. It is unevenly paced, building to an ambiguous ending that lacks resolution. Nevertheless, it offers engaging entertainment which fans of Daniel Craig won’t be able to resist. A riveting period piece about queer men, there are many strong reasons why “Queer” is a movie that is worth seeing.
Set in 1950s Mexico City, “Queer” tells a story of a queer man embarking on a journey to find his sexual identity. Daniel Craig plays William Lee, a neurotic queer man which seeks a love affair. Lee has always had trouble with finding like-minded people that he can connect with due to his sexual identity. He spends most of his days alone drinking at bars without needs for intimacy. However, Lee’s life changes when he falls in love with an expat solider. Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) is an attractive solider with dreams of his own. Sparks immediately fly between the two as Lee taking a strong liking to Eugene. As Lee begins to fall madly in love with Eugene, he questions whether he will ever be able to discover an intimate connection in a world where he is seldom seen. Faced with a dilemma, Lee wonders whether it’s possible to find love in a country that causes him to face trauma.
Luca Guadagnino is fascinated with the lives of queer communities. A fantastic filmmaker, Guadagnino has often excelled at producing movies about queer lovers that face disaster. His film “Call Me By Your Name” provided an engaging depiction of a forbidden love affair between a gay teenager and older man. With “Queer”, however, Guadagnino crested his first queer romantic drama. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture the barriers faced by queer lovers, but he succeeded tremendously. Using stunning cinematography, Guadagnino captures the tense hardships faced by a queer man seeking to find his identity in Mexico City. Visually, the movie is a stunning feast for the eyes as gorgeous as Mexico City streets that Lee seeks to materialize. Inspired with Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”, Guadagnino effectively uses montages to capture the lives of queer men that keep sexuality hidden in plain sight. For instance, montages enhance the night bonding scene. During this memorable scene, Lee spends precious time with Eugene roaming the streets of Mexico City. Through montages, Guadagnino creates a compelling homosexual character audiences can relate to. Montages are complex techniques. As Martin Campbell’s “Casino Royale” suggested, montages elevate commemorated James Bond films. Nevertheless, it works well in this film. Using breathtaking visuals, Guadagnino captures tense hardships that queer men are facing.
Another admirable aspect of “Queer” which merits appreciation is the production design. From a technical perspective, the movie is extremely well made. Guadagnino has often had an aptitude for creating intimate sexual scenes in his films, and “Queer” showcased his strengths as a director. Guadagnino deftly uses the production design of apartments to capture lovers engaging in sexual romances. Throughout the movie, Lee’s apartment is a backdrop for sexual affairs that he has with lovers. For instance, the apartments elevate the sexual scene. During this unforgettable scene, Lee has his first sexual encounter with Eugene in his apartment. One acknowledges backdrops of apartments showcasing lives of queer lovers. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score is integral towards the success of the movie. It gives the movie a tense atmosphere capturing the heavy burden that queer lovers bear. Through phenomenal production design, Guadagnino captures the lives of queer lovers facing a decline.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “Queer” a captivating film about queer men that’s compelling. The movie is beautifully written, and successfully employs unreliable narration to capture the lives of queer men facing tension. Evoking Christopher Nolan’s “Inception”, Guadagnino effectively employs unreliable narration to capture the lives of queer men which experience sexual tension. Throughout the film, Lee experiences tense delusion being unable to tell the differences between his dreams and reality. For instance, unreliable narration elevates the dream scene. During this unforgettable scene, Lee faced a tense nightmare of seeing a sexual lover that isn’t real. Through this ingenious technique, Guadagnino captures the hardships which queer men seeking connection go through. Unreliable narration is a tricky technique to use in movies. As Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind” claimed, unreliable narration elevates commemorated biopics about mathematicians. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through a commemorated screenplay, Guadagnino captures the intense hardships which gay men seeking connection face today.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Daniel Craig delivers one of his finest career performances as Lee. Craig first achieved appreciation for playing the renowned spy James Bond in the espionage franchise. With “Queer”, however, the actor took a huge step out of his comfort zone playing a character that’s queer. This is the actor unlike you’ve ever seen him before: intense, emotional and vulnerable in his most iconic role. It’s a commemorated role that gave the actor the rare possibilities to showcase emotional range he hadn’t shown before in his career. With strong expressions, he captures the angst, grief and resentment of a sexually frustrated queer man seeking to discover his identity. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the most commemorated actors there working today.
While the movie is mainly a stunning showcase for Daniel Craig, the supporting cast is equally excellent. Drew Starkey is superb, and brings humanity to a queer man witnessing hardships his lover go through. Jason Schwartzman is superb, bringing compassion to a queer man with strong dedication to find his identity in a city facing destruction. Finally, Lesley Manville is magnificent. As a committed doctor, she brings heartfelt emotion to the movie.
Finally, “Queer” will earn the appreciation of everyone for capturing the hardship faced by lovers that are queer. Unlike most commemorated films about queer lovers, it discusses strong themes which everyone will relate to. It tackles bold themes including anxiety, drug addiction and sexual identity which would resonate with everyone. Viewers aren’t required to be members of the LGBTQ community to appreciate it. It gives a profound message about sexual identity that would definitely resonate amongst everyone. Therefore, “Queer” is one of those rare commemorated films about queer lovers experiencing tension that everyone would adore.
Fans of Daniel Craig will definitely appreciate “Queer” and so will movie-goers seeking bold entertainment. A riveting period piece about queer lovers, it honours an iconic actor that has built a legacy that’s lasting.
A captivating portrait of the challenging hardships faced by middle-aged men that are queer, it’s a riveting reminder of a legendary actor that has built an illustrious career through his rare abilities to portray compelling characters that experience fear in memorable movies about which audiences deeply care.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 