Queer 2025 - A Latest Romantic Film Review by FlixHQ

 

Luca Guadagnino's second film this year after The Challengers, Queer, is another twisted love story in which Daniel Craig plays a struggling gay man in post-war Mexico City. The tequila-swilling, drug-taking, dick-hunting movie is a far cry from James Bond, and perhaps Craig only took on the role to showcase his acting prowess. Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by William S. Burroughs, the film sees Craig play Bill Lee, a man who spends his days scouting talented men to bed. He has something of a sexual predator about him, but other gay men seem to be looking for a quick hookup as well. And in this regard, it is Eugene, Drew Starkey, who catches his attention, and vice versa. Eugene often sits with a redheaded woman who may or may not be his lover, but Bill locks eyes with her and lingers on her for longer than necessary, a sign of attraction. Eventually, they make up and team up for a long, explicit love scene, a bold move for a star like Craig and for a mainstream film like this. The film is split into several chapters, and sees the pair go on an expedition deep into the jungle to meet an armed, abusive and physically intimidating "chemist" whose hallucinogenic drug gives users telepathic abilities. Certainly not the kind of chemist who works behind the counter at Boots. And it all leads to a psychedelic mind-meld and trippy body transformation akin to the ending of the 80s horror film "Society," in which they literally lose themselves in one another.

Craig's courageous performance shines in this film, which is also typical of Guadagnino, with its often brilliant experimental embellishments, particularly the use of contemporary music by Nirvana in the low-motion scenes where Bill chases Eugene down the street. Jason Schwartzman also provides good support as Joe, the friend who also longs for laissez-faire love and is often snatched away as soon as his last lover leaves. And then there's Lesley Manville, who, like Schwartzman, is completely unrecognizable and dominates every scene she appears in as a chemist. At 150 minutes, Queer is too long, but visually it's as good as Guadagnino's usual inventiveness. Adapting a William Burroughs novel has always been a challenge for the best directors, as Cronenberg found out with his adaptation of Naked Lunch, and this twisty tale is no different. The full length film is available in high definition on flix hq net.