Set in 1950s Mexico City, Queer centers on William Lee, an aging, solitary American expatriate navigating a haze of alcohol, heroin, and unfulfilled longing. Spending his days wandering expatriate bars and seedy hotel corridors, Lee's routine is shattered when he encounters Eugene Allerton, a younger, enigmatic former US Navy officer. Smitten and desperate for genuine connection, Lee pursues the elusive Allerton, embarking on a turbulent psychological and romantic journey. Their relationship culminates in an odyssey into the South American jungle in search of Yagé (ayahuasca)—a hallucinogenic vine Lee believes can unlock telepathic intimacy and bridge the emotional chasm between two human souls.
Thematic & Cinematic Analysis
A Fearless Performance by Daniel Craig: Stripping away every trace of blockbuster glamour, Daniel Craig delivers a career-defining performance as William Lee. Craig embodies Lee with raw, desperate vulnerability—capturing the physical awkwardness, tragic humor, and crushing loneliness of a man begging to be seen and loved. Opposite him, Drew Starkey gives a remarkably subtle, magnetic performance as Allerton, balancing detached coolness with flickering warmth.
Tactile Sensualism & Studio Artifice: Working with cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Guadagnino designs a mid-century Mexico City that feels both vividly tactile and dreamily theatrical. Using intentional studio sets, rear projections, and rich, pulp-fiction color palettes, the visual style mirrors Lee's psychological detachment from reality.
Hallucinatory Quest for Connection: Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes transforms Burroughs’ fragmented prose into a bold meditation on addiction and devotion. The narrative shifts from an atmospheric character study into surreal, avant-garde territory in its third act. The South American jungle sequence functions as a poetic, mind-bending examination of the lengths one will go to achieve true emotional telepathy with another person.
Anachronistic & Visceral Soundscapes: True to Guadagnino’s signature style, the film contrasts its 1950s period setting with surprising, modern musical choices and immersive environmental sound design, heightening the emotional friction between Lee’s internal desires and external realities.
Verdict
Queer is an intoxicating, unapologetically daring adaptation of William S. Burroughs' work. Led by a haunting, tour-de-force performance from Daniel Craig and directed with visceral elegance by Luca Guadagnino, it stands as a complex, haunting addition to modern queer cinema.
🌟 CRITIC'S VERDICT 🌟
9.0/10 — A Bold, Hallucinatory Masterpiece of Longing and Vulnerability
“Luca Guadagnino turns William S. Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical novella into a sensory, deeply tragic romance. Daniel Craig delivers the performance of his career in an unvarnished, devastating portrait of age, addiction, and the agonizing search for emotional connection.”
