“Queer” is nowhere near “Call Me by Your Name,” even if it is Luca Guadagnino’s second (third if we include “Challengers”) film revolving around a gay love story. Still, “Queer” departs from Guadagnino’s mold: The film is a supernatural, erotic, romantic, engaging and psychological period piece that features an engaging — if not fully fleshed out — performance by Drew Starkey and a loveable one by Daniel Craig.
Craig stars as William Lee, a U.S. expatriate living in Mexico City in the 1950s, chasing after a much younger man named Eugene Allerton (Starkey). Lee passes the time by hooking up with younger men and generally engaging in the gay scene, which features secondary characters played by Jason Schwartzman and Omar Apollo. He eventually meets and becomes obsessed with Allerton, resulting in Lee’s feeling intense jealousy whenever the younger speaks to younger men. Lee desires to read Allerton’s mind and he becomes determined to do so by attaining a drug called yage (ayahuasca), which is said to offer telepathic abilities. Lee begs Allerton to come to South America to find it with him, to which Allerton reluctantly agrees.
This is where the film pivots. The slower beginning, which the film’s title cards label as “Part One,” finds solace in a stylized but lonesome Mexico City. As they trek to South America, the tone feels more romantic and exciting for the couple — that is until we learn about Lee’s drug addiction and its severity. When Lee’s sheer amount of problems are revealed, Allerton seems hesitant to continue this journey.
The film oscillates between highly stylized montages contrasted with quiet, slowed-down intimate moments. This is where Guadagnino’s direction shines, as he makes some risky creative choices that pay off as overall engaging. For example, shadows are used as a visual representation of Lee’s desire to touch Allerton, and CGI depicts a third arm reaching for Allerton. Guadagnino uses these tactics to create romantic tension and add a somberness to the scenes.
Allerton keeps Lee at a distance for the whole film, as he never makes clear what he wants from the older man, sexually, romantically or otherwise. The audience doesn’t know Allerton’s past or his motivations for coming on the journey. The film is ultimately led by Lee, whose irrational tendencies are heightened by Allerton. Starkey plays a silent, understated force in contrast to Craig’s outward acting — Craig’s monologues and rambling bounce off of Starkey’s character, all while Starkey remains silent and brooding.
But Allerton’s silent nature also leads to vagueness in character. While Starkey does well with the material he’s given, his character is significantly less developed than Craig’s. This is one of the problems I have with Guadagnino’s work. He often only develops one or two characters (such as Patrick and Art in “Challengers” or Elio in “Call Me by Your Name”), leaving the other main characters, such as Tashi, Oliver or Allerton, feeling empty and idealistic. The character work may be the film’s biggest flaw, as it spends more time on stylization than proper development.
But, not to say the stylization isn’t impressive, because it is. Allerton’s introduction scene features “Come as You Are” by Nirvana in an unexpected but rewarding needle drop. Much of the CGI backdrops are reminiscent of an old movie, creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere. And this is before we even get to my favorite part — the third act in the jungle.
Allerton and Lee look for yage deep in the jungle, wearing safari outfits and slashing greenery with machetes. It’s accompanied by a heart pounding, intense score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (who also did the “Challengers” score), particularly the song “Place of Failure.” This all leads up to the scene where they telepathically communicate. There’s puking, up-close and personal shots of their faces, and CGI human hearts leaving their bodies. It’s reminiscent of the work of David Lynch, director of “Twin Peaks” and “Eraserhead,” and it truly comes out of nowhere in the movie. This shock, to me, makes it an incredibly effective scene.
Without the third act’s strange but entertaining nature, the film would fall flat for a typical Guadagnino. The risks he took there make the film worthwhile. While I wish Starkey was given a bit more to work with, both he and Craig still deliver engaging performances backed by excellent and risk-taking direction by Guadagnino.
