“This film could lose 40 minutes easily but loses pace instead. Given it to a self-indulger like Guadagnino and you will question whether what is left is worth your while.“
Con Nats
2.5 shots of tequila
Daniel Craig plays an aging gay man in Queer based on the novel by William S Burroughs, so you can expect a wild ride.
Lee is a tequila swilling writer living in Mexico where he can indulge his addictions to drugs, tequila and young men. It seems to take up most of his day until he meets Eugene (Drew Starkey), a sexually ambiguous young man.
They chat, they drink, they flirt , they drink and they play and smoke and Lee’s still not sure if Eugene is Queer – and that just about sums up the first hour. Lee professes an interest in telepathy and a certain South American drug and asks Eugene to go travelling with him. He does.
So off they go in search of a storyline and an American doctor, (Lesley Manfield has a lot of fun here) who is researching Ayahuasca. It’s a rare vine which when boiled can “open doors” and induce visions. Burroughs wanted to use it to control his opium addiction, although in this film it’s to read Eugene’s mind. After another pointless sidetrack into Lee being sick with DTs, the story finally becomes interesting.
Daniel Craig is very authentic as William Lee. He really embodies his character from his mannerisms right down to his walk. Starkey as Eugene is excellent as well. He plays his flirty-friendly sexual ambiguity nicely. He’s more likeable than Lee. For two straight men, the sex scenes are very realistic and just short of an R rating. Jason Bateman as Joe, the resident gay, is hilarious.
Where this film falls down is the direction and editing by Luca Guidagnino. The first chapter takes over an hour and there’s are many meandering scenes. These two actors can nail down character within a couple of scenes. We don’t need an hour to accept that Lee is obsessive which devolves down into pathetic. A scene where Lee prepares and shoots up heroin then smokes a whole cigarette in real time might showcase Craig’s acting but symbolised the typically indulgent direction of Guadagnino – he thinks it’s entertaining to watch others enjoy themselves. It isn’t, and it is dead boring telling us something we already know or realise in a few moments. There has never been a more overrated director.
I found the soundtrack questionable. While I admire their music, I’m not sure what Nirvana, Trent Razor and Atticus can bring to a 50s Mexico backdrop. Neither do they, so they don’t bother.
The final scenes are unsatisfactory and again, too long for what they tell us which is very little.
A William S Burroughs story will promise quirky and confronting characters and surreal scenes, which is hard to capture on film. The uneven structure and long pointless scenes destroy the pace and lessens interest in the central characters. This film could lose 40 minutes easily but loses pace instead. Given it to a self-indulger like Guadagnino and you will question whether what is left is worth your while.
Con Nats, On The Screen
