Director Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ Queer is a middling, yet unique and interesting adaptation, only anchored by a great performance from Daniel Craig.
Based on the 1985 book by William S. Burroughs, Queer follows William Lee (Daniel Craig, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story), a lonely American ex-pat living in 1950s Mexico. One day, Lee meets a fellow ex-pat named Eugene (Drew Starkey, Love, Simon). Together, the two begin a relationship, hoping to break their loneliness and find a way to connect.
The Search for Love in Queer
Director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) adapts William S. Burroughs’s 1985 novella to explore one’s search for connection. With a script from screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes (Challengers), Guadagnino enters William Lee’s (Craig) psyche and explores his loneliness. Guadagino also delves into the insecurities of being different in another country. Notably, it examines having a different sexuality.
Yet, the film fights with its tone. The movie starts off as a character-centric drama focused on Lee and his newfound relationship with Eugene. But, towards the bulk half of the film, it turns into a surrealist mind-trip. As a result, the character-centric drama goes out of the window. That said, elements of the character drama do remain and are still present. They are just not at the forefront. Guadagnino and director of photography Sayombhu Mukdeeprom shoots the film with an eerie calmness.
However, Mukdeeprom also lays out these scenes with a sense of loneliness. Furthermore, the scenes echo Lee’s struggle to find a connection. Mukdeeprom’s cinematography also highlights Stefano Baisi’s minimal production design. This is done by crafting sets that feel distant yet distinct. Baisi also brings a very Western vibe despite the film’s setting in Mexico. In turn, this creates a feeling of isolation within the setting.
Costumes & Music
Furthermore, costume designer J.W. Anderson simplifies 1950s clothing. Anderson prioritizes men’s pantsuits into a functional but palpable design. Moreover, the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross continues this sentiment by becoming hypnotic. Because of this, the score manages to get into the head of William. However, they juxtapose this by using anachronistic music with songs such as “Come as You Are” by Nirvana and “All Apologies” by Sinead O’Connor. Finally, coming in at two hours and fifteen minutes, editor Mario Costa uses the running time allotted. However, once the film switches from the character study to a surrealist mind trip, Costa focuses on the plot. As a result, Costa becomes focused on creating vignettes instead of full scenes.
Performances in Queer
As for the performances, Daniel Craig leads the cast as William Lee, delivering an excellent performance. In it, Craig displays both loneliness and vulnerability, all while balancing them by embracing his identity. We see this through his chemistry with Drew Starkey’s Eugene, where he switches between awkwardness and strength. Speaking of Eugene, Starkey delivers a good performance as he surrounds the character in mystery. We also see Starkey display a firm but supportive side to his character. We see this most present in the second act.
Rounding out the cast is Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore) as Lee and Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) as Dr. Colfer. Both deliver good performances, with Schwartzman bringing out his usual wit and style as William’s friend. Meanwhile, Manville delivers an eccentric performance. One that borderlines between being fantastical but also off-putting. Still, Manville’s performance serves as a representative of the more surreal portions of the film.
Final Thoughts
With Queer, Guadagnino adapts Burroughs’ 1985 novella with precision. We see this in the film’s first half in the character study regarding William and his identity. While Guadagino switches up the tone in the second half, it matches the book. However, as a result, it doesn’t translate well to the screen. As for the cast, Daniel Craig leads the cast, showing range and chemistry with Starkey’s Eugene as William. Overall, Queer is a muddled attempt at adapting Burroughs’ novel to the screen. But thanks to the second half, it doesn’t work.
