In Queer, Daniel Craig plays a gay old dude named William who wanders around Mexico City seeking intimacy, and instead finds himself drawn to an empty vessel of a younger man. Then director Luca Guadagnino, having run out of book material at the two-thirds mark, takes things in a wildly different direction.
Based on the book by William S. Burroughs, which is apparently inspired by his own life, Queer gives Daniel Craig the kind of material he can really chew on. Screw that James Bond and Knives Out shit, Queer puts Craig’s acting talent center stage. And he delivers in the way only 007 can.
As for the movie itself, Queer shifts in between compelling character study and relentless slog, before shifting gears and delivering a wildly odd climax that is both spellbinding and also too little too late.
For those of us who like our movies to have forward momentum, the first two-thirds of Queer–the part based on the book–operates in a state of inertia. Though intentional, it doesn’t help that the man Craig’s character is intrigued by is a blank slate; it’s one-sided chemistry, lust really, but what works on paper doesn’t necessarily work on the screen. It was hard to understand what William sees in the guy, other than him being younger and hotter and slightly interested.
OK, wait, I get it now.
Anyway, Queer’s final act is fun but feels so much like a completely different movie it really didn’t make sense at all. I loved the style that flourishes and evolves at rapid pace through this final segment, but it’s so out of left field and disconcerting it doesn’t entirely work. Sure, the sudden arrival of a completely unrecognizable Lesley Manville was a welcome surprise, but as I sat watching her chew up scenery it made me wish the whole movie was some weird–and queer–odd couple adventure starring her.
Queer has plenty of positives, but it’s a bit too understated (until it isn’t) to really get into. Thankfully, Daniel Crag is fully into it, and we benefit from his willingness to branch into something entirely different from his mainstream work.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.