Movie Review - Queer

Director: Luca Guadagnino
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzmann, Colin Bates,
 
Description: In 1950s Mexico City, and American immigrant (Daniel Craig) in his late forties leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student (Drew Starkey) stirs the man into finally establish a meaningful connection with someone.
 
Review: William Lee, an American expat living in Mexico in the 1950s, spends most of his time in the Ship Ahoy bar, always on the lookout for a man he can take back to a hotel. He is always looking for the wrong men, until he sees Allerton. But when Lee approaches him, Allerton shows no interest, at first.
Luca Guadagnino shows us the romantic desire and longing, the search for the ideal complement to a lovely soul with his image that give us an insight about both characters and their journey from the start. A starting relationship that becomes somewhat toxic. Lee wants to be with Allerton all the time, but it’s fully not mutual.

Guadagnino made one of my favorite movies of all-time: “Call My By Your Name”. And the synopsis somehow felt similar. And while the film looks visually stunning and the acting is good, I did not look “Queer”.

Guadagnino want to provoke with “Queer”. Daniel Craig tries to make hist character Lee someone we feel sorry for because of his loneliness, but also feel rejection because of his addiction and self-destruction. There are many question about Lee, that we never get answers too. And I understand that a little mystery is good, but there are essential parts of his characters that we no nothing about. What brought Lee here? Why is he running away? What hurt him so much? Drew Starkey plays Allerton, the object of affection. But Allerton is a one-dimensional character. He doesn’t become more then the man Lee loves, but gets rejected by over and over again.

The way it was filmed is beautiful, but for the story and the execution of it I cannot say the same. The film was boring, it didn’t feel credible, a lot of abstract symbolism that felt out of place. “Queer” had so much potential and was promising, but just didn’t deliver. I did not enjoy it.  

Rating: 2/ 5