Review: Queer – Talk to me without speaking

Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Starring Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville

6/10

Based on the novella by William S. Burroughs and finally seeing an adaptation by Luca Guadagnino, Queer is quite the sumptuous production to behold. However, it’s a film difficult to get a feel for, as there is an immense and original craft on display, yet it still rings a little emotionally hollow and malnourished.

Taking place in 1950s New Mexico, which looks slightly distorted, William Lee (Daniel Craig) is an almost perpetually drunk expat, cruising up and down the bars for young men to take home with him. He has his eyes mostly set on Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), who he becomes infatuated with. Although Eugene doesn’t seem as enthused about their relationship, he still assists William with his drug-related health issues and his voyage to South America to find a drug that can cause telepathy.

Despite the incredible production design, cinematography, and musical score, there‘s still the feeling that there’s something missing from the screen, something that would make the pathways of these two characters more concrete and less vague. It’s as if this missing link is meant to be seen in the acting from these two instead, and as well as they do with their performances, there is still this fogginess in what’s meant to be portrayed.

The design of the film certainly overshadows the central romance, which seems more lovingly portrayed. Just about every shot is immaculate, especially the more surreal and dreamlike ones towards the film’s more hallucinatory climax.

But there is a self-serious feeling from the film, as if it’s directed by Guadagnino in ways that seem like they are trying to impress rather than actually add anything to the story or character development. His direction was razor sharp, and he used every trick in the book for his other 2024 film, Challengers, a zippy film that delved entertainingly into two young competitive men and their history with each other.

Queer, on the other hand, feels like it doesn’t have as much going for it for this relationship we’re seeing on screen, despite both films coming from the same screenwriter, Justin Kuritzkes. There’s a lot to be admired about this film, and maybe its vagueness is inherent in its source material, but this renders the film more of an exercise than a tale to get swept up in.

DAVID MORGAN-BROWN