“I'm not queer. I'm disembodied.” It's a phrase mentioned by the two leads at different points in Queer, director Luca Guadagnino's adaptation of William S. Burroughs' infamous novel. Those haunting lines speak to the central theme of queer connection; specifically longing for a love that is out of reach. On the surface, Queer is a funny, sexy, beguiling watch but it's also deceptively devastating.
Based on Burroughs himself, Lee (Daniel Craig) is an American expatriate living in Mexico City after the Second World War. He lives a carefree life; forever drinking in cheap bars, legally feeding his drug addiction, and hooking up with younger guys. During a walk through the streets at night (to the tune of Nirvana's Come As You Are no less), Lee exchanges looks with discharged serviceman Eugene (Drew Starkey) and obsessively pursues the young handsome man.
Eugene, or Gene, doesn't present himself as a “queer” in the eyes of Lee and the other gay men in the community, but Gene certainly has an eye on Lee. The two grow close, and a relationship forms — but not without caveats. It's in these first two acts where Queer is at its best: a tantalising observation of two lovers and the yearning of a middle-aged gay man. Stellar production design draws the viewer into the hot Mexico City nights; with plenty of miniature sets, suave outfits, and sweaty rolling down faces. But the beating heart of Queer is the performances.
Craig is utterly mesmerising. Lee is a man who puts on confidence and swagger to mask his doubts and troubles. He provides many laughs throughout the runtime with hilariously unhinged moments and killer lines, but underneath that playful veneer is a deeply tragic character. It's a performance that will surely garner awards buzz, and one that might unfortunately overshadow Starkey's equally compelling work. Gene initially comes across as a charming dreamboat but there's an air of mystery, and perhaps danger, to him. You never quite know what he's thinking or feeling, and that ambiguity makes Gene all the more attractive to Lee — and the audience.
As the relationship between Lee and Gene reaches a certain point, Guadanigno, and writer Justin Kuritzkes, take the film in a very different direction. As already evidenced in early critical and audience reactions, this will make or break the experience for viewers. Lee has a secondary quest in getting his hands on Yage, a plant with properties that apparently grant users telepathy. The two leads ditch the bars of Mexico City for the jungles of South America; complete with jungle hijinks, a run-in with an unrecognisable and unhinged Lesley Manville, and hauntingly beautiful psychedelic trips.
But this bonkers third act does in fact tie into the theme of connection and the tragedy of it all. Lee will literally travel the world to find a way of knowing someone's true feelings and connect with them on a deeper level. It's a sentiment many of us in the LGBTQ+ community have felt, with societal viewpoints forcing us to suppress desires and heterosexual crushes crushing hopes and dreams. The epilogue too may seem irrelevant—or plain confusing—but conveys queer love and connection in the most heart-wrenching way.
Queer is arguably one of Guadanigno's very best. Don't let the third act throw you off: open your heart and surrender to it emotionally, and you'll feel like you've taken Yage yourself.
Queer screened as part of the London Film Festival 2024.
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