Writer/Director: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey and Jason Schwartzman
‘A Marvellous Period Piece’
Gay people are rarely depicted with respect in movies today. Hollywood has often ignored homosexual men which climb back-breaking mountains. On a personal level, I witnessed a gay cousin’s struggle. Several years ago, I saw a queer cousin that sought to discover his sexual identity in Toronto. As outspoken as Harvey Milk, he was somebody to love that was deeply appreciated by family. An unusual boy, he often found joy doing activities girls would enjoy. It didn’t take long before I formed a strong bond with a cousin of whom I was fond. I would look forward every weekend to spend time with a close cousin that became a friend. Since I hadn’t yet reached the age of maturity, I seldom had any reasons to suspect my cousin’s sexuality. Sharing common love for art, I formed bonds with a cousin that couldn’t be torn apart. Unaware that he was queer, my cousin was a rare person about whom I care. However, sexual identity brought bonds to a closure. Our bond became lost in translation after he revealed sexual orientation. His decision to reveal he was gay came with a painful price to pay. My cousin’s drastic decision to come out of the closet left family upset. It was only a matter of time before he was abaonded by his family in a country where homosexuality was considered a crime. Abandoned by his father, his decision to disclose identity impacted bonds with family forever. In a matter of months, he went from a relative to a stranger. Years later, I lost touch with a beloved relative changing my views of queer people forever.
As someone treasuring a queer cousin, I appreciated “Queer”. Released in 2024, Luca Guadagino’s movie captured queer lovers. Packed with bold set-design, engaging storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s one of the best movies of 2024. At the centre of it all is Daniel Craig, who embodies a queer man facing despair. Although “Queer” is a fantastic LGBTQ drama, it isn’t a flawless film. Its unevenly paced, building an ambiguous conclusion. Nevertheless, it offers heartwarming entertainment that will satisfy fans of LGBTQ dramas.
Set in 1950s Mexico City, “Queer” follows a queer man embarking on a journey. Daniel Craig plays William Lee, a neurotic queer man seeking a love affair. Due to his sexual identity, Lee has always had trouble connecting with people. However, Lee’s life changes when he falls in love with an expat solider. Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) is an attractive solider with massive dreams. As Lee begins to fall madly in love with Eugene, he questions whether he will ever discover an intimate connection in a world where queer people are seldom seen.
Luca Guadagnino is fascinated with the lives of queer lovers facing sorrow. His award-winning 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 directed his first queer romantic drama. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture the barriers faced by queer lovers, but he succeeded tremendously. Inspired with Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”, Guadagnino effectively uses montages to capture the lives of commemorated 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. It brought back fond memories of my relationship with a commemorated gay cousin that embraced his sexual identity. Montages are complex techniques. As Martin Campbell’s “Casino Royale” suggested, montages elevate commemorated James Bond films. Nevertheless, it works tremendously in this film. Using breathtaking visuals, Guadagnino captures frightening hardships that queer men are facing.
Another admirable aspect of “Queer” which merits appreciation is the production design. Guadagnino has often had an aptitude for creating intimate sexual scenes in his films, and “Queer” showcased his strengths as a director. Evoking Gus Van Sant’s “Milk”, Guadagnino uses apartments as backdrops for romantic relationships between queer 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. It reminded me of my cousin that often spent time with his boyfriend in an apartment after he disclosed his sexual identity. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ commemorated score is integral towards success of the movie. It gives the movie a frightening atmosphere capturing burden that homosexual lovers bear. Through production design, Guadagnino captures the hardships of commemorating lovers experiencing 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 grim sexual tension. For instance, unreliable narration elevates the dream scene. During this unforgettable scene, Lee faces a tense nightmare of seeing a sexual lover that isn’t real. It reminded me of my cousin’s struggle being rejected after he disclosed his sexual identity leaving family devastated. Unreliable narration is a tricky technique. As Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind” claimed, unreliable narration elevates biopics about inspiring mathematicians. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through a commemorated screenplay, Guadagnino captures the frightening hardships which homosexual men seeking connection experience today.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Daniel Craig delivers one of his best career performances as Lee. Craig first achieved appreciation for playing James Bond in the famous spy franchise. With “Queer”, however, he took on the most complex role of his career. It isn’t easy to portray the hardships faced by a gay artist today but Craig succeeded. This is the actor unlike you’ve ever seen him before: intense, charismatic and emotional in his most memorable role. With riveting expressions, he captures angst, grief and depression of a queer man seeking connection. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the most commemorated actors 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.
Although “Queer” is a deeply moving drama, it isn’t a flawless film. If there’s a shortcoming to the movie, it lacks engaging pacing. Guadagnino’s decision to integrate subplots about jungle expeditions into the movie is bold but doesn’t entirely succeed. Due to this faulty decision, scenes capturing Lee’s adventures into jungles aren’t as engaging as his journey to find his sexual identity. As Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” suggested, subplots about jungles elevate commemorated literary adaptations. Moreover, the film lacks a satisfying ending. It’s an ambiguous conclusion without any clear resolution that fails to bring the film to a satisfying conclusion. Whereas this ambiguous ending elevated Andrew Haigh’s “All Of Us Strangers”, it clashes with the tone of this movie. Therefore, “Queer” falls short of the best LGBTQ movies ever made.
Nevertheless, fans of LGBTQ dramas will definitely appreciate “Queer” and so will movie-goers seeking heartwarming entertainment. A mesmerizing period piece about queer men, it proves that stories of LGBTQ communities are worth telling in movies.
As strong as Lee’s desire to be queer, it has inspired me to move on years after parting ways with a gay cousin that disclosed his sexual identity causing catastrophic family tragedy making me well aware of the burden that LGBTQ communities often bear whose rare wisdom motivated me to pursue a film criticism career.
4/5 stars
The Film Buff 