NYFF Film Review: ‘Queer’ is a Trippy But Ultimately Ponderous Affair

Luca Guadagnino and I have a complicated relationship. As a general rule, I tend to like his films less than most, whether it’s something I like when most love like Call Me By Your Name, or something I dislike that most like, be it A Bigger Splash or Susperia, for example. Then, Challengers came along a few months ago and completely turned me around, given how much I adore that movie (see here for just how much). So, I went into Queer not knowing what to expect. I could fall anywhere on the cinematic spectrum with it. Unfortunately, the longer the flick went on, the less I cared for it. Playing at the 62nd New York Film Festival, it’s an undeniably different work, but it’s a shapeless slog that wears your patience out long before the end credits roll.

Queer is the kind of movie that progressively loses the goodwill that it establishes early on. It begins as somewhat of a vibes film, cruising around period Mexico. Then, fatigue sets in, but the movie keeps going. Guadagnino makes a lot of bold choices, stylistically, but you consistently become less and less interested. By the time things were wrapping up, I couldn’t have cared less, and that’s a shame.

William Lee (Daniel Craig) spends his days in Mexico City in the late 1940s milling about the various bars frequented by various gay American expats. A heroin user and drunk, there’s a rhythm to his days, if also an emptiness. Then, a mysterious younger man in ex-military man in Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) arrives and catches Lee’s eye.

Swooning and instantly smitten, Lee pursues Eugene. Eventually, they begin an affair, one that only begins in Mexico City. Before long, they’ve gone to South America, eventually going all the way to the Ecuadorian jungle in search of a doctor (Lesley Manville) who studies Ayahuasca. Through it all, their relationship proves volatile.

Daniel Craig is certainly good and unquestionably turning in work we’ve never seen from him before. Sexually bold, sure, but also damaged by drug and drink, Craig dives headlong into a challenging role. There’s a limit to what the script gives him to do, but it’s impressive and lightyears away from James Bond. Drew Starkey is solid, to be sure, but his role is a bit too obtuse to really let the audience in. Craig and Starkey do have a chemistry that bubbles, if only to a small degree. Lesley Manville is gonzo in a small role, while the supporting cast includes David Lowery, Jason Schwartzman, and more.

Director Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes previously teamed up earlier this year on Challengers and blew me away. This time around, not so much. Guadagnino once again has a great score from composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, but that’s about all that fully works for me here, aside from Craig. Putting a modern soundtrack on to a period piece does not work, while the periodic bits of surrealism feel like too little, too late. The William S. Burroughs adaptation obviously means a lot to Guadagnino, but that affection is never translated to the screen.

Queer is a big nothing burger. Credit to Luca Guadagnino for making a passion project of his, but it really does feel like something made only for him. Maybe more of you will like it than I did, but this is a lowlight of NYFF this year. Alas.

SCORE: ★★