It’s been quite the year for Luca Guadagnino. First, the man releases one of the sexiest films of the year in the Zendaya tennis film Challengers. Now, Guadagnino has teamed with Daniel Craig to bring Queer to audiences everywhere. Premiering at the Venice International Film Festival and being named in the Top 10 Films of the Year by the National Board of Review, the film has earned praise and controversy since its release.
There is certainly plenty to chew on as Craig stars as an American expatriate, William Lee, in Mexico City bar hopping and having intercourse with young men. Once Eugene Allerton, a young GI played by Drew Starkey, comes into the picture, Lee’s life starts to spin out of control.
Like Mikey Madison in Anora, Craig has received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in a film that has plenty to do with sex, sexual relationships and feelings of longing. It’s a strong statement from all who worked on the film, even as countries like Turkey ban it.
The former James Bond actor gives one of the finest performances of his career but does Guadagnino’s direction match up?
A boy named Eugene Allerton. #Queer pic.twitter.com/lTxNRfYMMv
— A24 (@A24) November 19, 2024
‘Queer’ is Guadagnino’s second best movie of 2024
Right off the bat, I’ll say that Challengers remains one of Guadagnino of best works of his career and Queer was going to have a hard time matching that. It’s no disrespect to this film, though. The Italian auteur presents a ludicrous experience of excess.
It’s a credit to the director that he uses a former 007 as a man who gets dead drunk in various Mexican bars. Guadagnino creates a delirious atmosphere that barely hangs onto reality, just like Lee.
But as the film transitions away from Mexico to Ecuador, we start to see some of the flaws appear. The second half of Queer focuses on Lee and Allerton’s journey down south in search of ayahuasca (Aaron Rodgers can probably relate).
Some of the wilder moments in the film happen in Ecuador, particularly when Lee and Allerton actually trip on ayahuasca in the middle of the rainforest. When the two realize they are high out of their minds, their bad trips lead to disgusting visuals and a dose of cosmic mysticism.
The problem unfortunately emerges through the pacing. At 137 minutes, the film slows way down and starts to drag. It’s similar to Guadagnino’s 2018 remake of the classic Giallo film Suspiria. But unlike that film which features a bloated amount of themes and storylines, Queer feels long but feels confused about what it actually wants to say about love and longing.
The word “queer” takes on different meanings for different characters. For example, Lee sees it as a form of being hardcore and promiscuous. It never really settles on what kind of “queer” Lee is. We see various interpretations, but the lack of curiosity about these relationships feels disappointing. In short, Queer doesn’t know what it wants to be.
Daniel Craig Delivers One of His Finest Performances
The film’s lack of narrative focus and direction doesn’t reflect poorly on Craig, though. Craig, a man who is so natural at playing a modern, suave version of James Bond, has made plenty of fascinating and pleasantly provocative performances over the past few years.
As Detective Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out films, Craig has been able to flex his muscles as not just a comedic actor but to emote differently than he has before. Queer takes that to another level as Craig balances playing a gay man throwing all caution to the win and a tortured soul who is looking for any form of connection. It’s no wonder Craig won the National Board of Review’s honor for Best Actor.
Along with the sequences where Lee has visions of what he wants to do with Allerton, Craig communicates so much with his eyes. Additionally, he adopts a physicality that feels both confident and deeply insecure.
Craig’s decision to be in this film lines up with an intentionality to move past the Bond persona. And yet, he understands how to play a long time alcoholic with plenty of charm. It feels like a mixture of knowing what he’s good at in blockbusters and a desire to be bold and creative.
It’s something actors like Chris Evans, who has mostly been in streaming slop since Avengers: Endgame, could learn from. Don’t completely move away from your inherent persona, but please feel free to take as many creative risks as possible.
Drew Starkey Cooks Nearly As Much As Craig
Starkey, previously with small roles in films like Just Mercy and The Hate U Give, shines right alongside Craig in this film. He understands the assignment: Allerton is Lee’s object of absolute desire and obsession. Since we are in Lee’s perspective, Starkey needs to possess a level of mystery and obscurity.
Sure enough, Starkey remarkably threads a needle of looking like the sexiest man alive at times while simultaneously holding some of the blankest expressions you’ll see on screen. It can frustrate the viewer, and more importantly, Lee, to not have access to Allerton’s inner workings. But Starkey knows how to stay compelling throughout.
Although he made his bones in Outer Banks, Starkey has become a revelation on the silver screen. In a supporting role next to a star like Daniel Craig, the 31-year old holds his own and sets himself up for intriguing roles in the future.
Once the twist of the film comes while Lee and Allerton are tripping on ayahuasca, it rests on Starkey’s shoulders to land the plane story-wise. He succeeds and his revelations hit like a freight train and will reward any viewer who decides to watch this act of cinematic zaniness again.
Starkey was a true joy to watch and I hope he is either a Guadagnino regular or finds other high-minded directors like Greta Gerwig or Josh Safdie.
Controversy Doesn’t Deter Queer
Turkish authorities Guadagnino’s latest film deemed “provocative content.” Arthouse distributor MUBI canceled an entire film festival because of the pressure from the authorities.
The Italian director came out with a strong statement to Variety: “They banned the movie because they said the movie was creating social disorder.” “I wonder if they’ve seen the movie or if they are just judging it by the outline or let’s say the facetious stupidity of some journalism focusing on James Bond going gay.”
For all its flaws from a structural standpoint, Queer remains an important part of this movie year and another step forward in cinema. Guadagnino once again shows people on the margins of society and makes an effort to humanize them as much as stories about straight men.
Final thoughts
Similar to fellow 2024 film Joshua Oppenheimer’s The End, I feel like I need to watch Queer a few more times to fully understand it. Both films keep the viewer at a distance to meet them on their own terms. Although the structural problems will more than likely persist in multiple viewings, Queer stands as a provocative and challenging work.
