William Lee: Get on your ass!
Story
In 1950s Mexico, an American immigrant in his forties lives a lonely life in a small American community. But the arrival of a young student prompts the man to finally form a meaningful connection with someone. Daniel Craig eventually convinced Luca Guadagnino to play Drew Starkey after watching audition tapes with Guadagnino and telling him “That’s the guy” upon seeing Starkey… Or what’s left of him after four years in the Navy..
I’m actually glad I did, because it’s a very interesting and visually beautiful film
Features Orpheus (1950). I wasn’t planning on seeing Queer in theaters and was going to wait until it aired, but a friend wanted to see it, so I went along. As with most Burroughs stories, there will be characters on hard drugs, so I knew that and expected that much of the story would be told through the eyes of characters who are drugged/influenced/induced. This can be tricky, as much of the story is expressed through metaphors and strange/weird/hard to decipher imagery.
The rest of the cast were all solid supporting and supporting characters
Queer was pretty good, and while I expected to leave the theater feeling confused and confused, I left feeling satisfied. Trent Reznor produced all the music, and I think he did a great job, as most of the music hit the nail on the head for me emotionally. As for the performances, Craig gave a very solid performance in a role that was difficult to play, but I think he really pulled it off quite well. Jason Schwartzman was great, and his character gave this film some much-needed tenderness.
Something to consider
Guadagnino’s direction was well executed, and having seen a few of his, I’ll say he has a special way of perfectly balancing the camera, lighting, and music in the lighter, more subdued moments of his films. It really sets the mood, but isn’t too overt to overwhelm the moment. I think the third part in the jungle could have benefited from some careful editing, as I felt it dragged on a bit too long, or maybe it wasn’t really supposed to take place in the jungle? Queer is not an ‘easy’ movie to watch, and it won’t be for everyone.
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