Dreamy, sensual, immersive, and exquisitely shot, Luca Guadagnino’s period drama ‘Queer’ explores the complex relationship between an expatriate in Mexico and a young soldier. Daniel Craig plays Lee, a cocaine-snorting, heroine-consuming expat from the United States. Lee hops from one gay bar to another, looking for hookups. He spots an elusive Allerton (Drew Starkey) on the dimly-lit streets of Mexico at a place where a large number of men are cockfighting. Of course, cockfighting here is a blood sport where two roosters are used as combatants. The visual innuendo is signature Guadagnino.
Queer Movie: Plot
In another scene, Lee engages in a sexual act with a man. The camera cuts to a phallic object, a standee with a light bulb on it. The innuendos aren’t exactly subtle (much like Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers’) but the visual grammar of the film leaves little to imagination. Unlike Challengers, a mostly-upbeat romantic sports drama, Queer is bleak. The film progressively gets darker as the plot progresses. As Lee looks for a deeper, emotional bond with Allerton, the latter is mostly non-committal. It becomes progressively harder to read Allerton’s intentions.
Is Allerton in denial about his sexuality? Is he using Lee to get away to South America? Lee is equally confused about Allerton’s intentions. It isn’t a surprise therefore that Lee opts for an ayahuasca-like drug yagé, known for its supposed telepathic qualities. In a desperate attempt to communicate with Allerton, Lee consumes yagé, only for Allerton to admit “I am not queer, I am disembodied”.
Queer Movie: Performances
As Lee’s drug dependence and opioid addiction gets worse, Allerton maintains a comfortable distance for him (both emotional and physical). While Allerton is mostly dismissive of Lee’s illness, the two continue to share moments of intimacy. In an interview with Screenrant, writer Justin Kuritzkes explained Lee and Allerton’s dynamic: “Luca has said, in a very succinct and nice way, that this isn't a story of unrequited love as much as it's a story of unsynchronized love. These guys are in some way always trying to find a way to be on the same page, but it's very difficult”.
Except it is abundantly clear that Allerton doesn’t want an emotional connection with Lee. In a gut-wrenching scene, Lee serenades Allerton’s ribs, for he cannot touch him. Lee has a tragic end. He grows old and hallucinates as a young Allerton comforts him moments before his death. In ‘Queer’, the book Queer by William S. Burroughs, much of Allerton’s intentions aren’t known. In many ways, Luca and Justin are staying true to the novel, even though Allerton’s coldness is obvious here.
Queer Movie: Writing And Direction
This critic, for one, doesn’t view Allerton in a favourable light. Of course one shouldn’t feel compelled to reciprocate romantic feelings if they don’t want to. Justin makes it abundantly clear in an interview that he didn’t want Allerton to be an ‘object of desire’ but have his own desires. Still, the skewed power dynamic in the rather complex relationship is clear. “Do I smell of vomit?” Allerton asks before Lee proceeds to kiss him. But when Lee is down with dysentery, Allerton maintains a distance.
The writing is on the wall. Lee is clearly more invested in this relationship. Besides this complicated (and somewhat problematic) relationship, what caught this critic’s eye was the otherworldly dream sequences which are nothing short of ethereal. In a scene, a piece of paper fluctuates between Lee and Allerton. A dismembered body of a woman floats mid-air. The dream sequences in Queer are surreal and otherworldly.
Queer Movie: What Works, What Doesn’t
I particularly liked how much of the conversation between the supporting cast and the extras is largely inconsequential to the plot. Guadagnino isn’t even pretending to give these conversations depth, for the central focus of the film is entirely Lee and Allerton’s romance. As small talk fades into the background, queer romance takes centerstage. On the downside, the 135-minute film can come across as bleak and somewhat long-winded at times.
Long glances, deep sighs and dramatic pauses leave a lot to interpretation.The minimal dialogue leaves a lot unsaid. The negative space allows the viewer to immerse themselves in this messed up dynamic, sometimes biting off more than they can chew. As for Daniel Craig, the actor is firing off on all cylinders as Lee. He embodies the loneliness and alienation experienced by an elderly queer man to stirring effect.
Star rating: 3 / 5 stars
Queer is now streaming on Mubi India.
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