Queer

🧠 Brief Overview
Through the lens of William Lee’s life, which starts in Mexico City in the 1950s and later moves to the heart of the South American jungle, ‘Queer’ portrays the life of ignored American War Veteran, Lee. A social outcast due to the war, Lee is an addict and hopelessly lonely, which changes when he meets a younger GI Eugene Allerton. Eugene’s introversion and aloof charm draws William in.

Though Eugene does not seem to reciprocate Lee’s obsession, he plays a large role in driving the war veteran deeper into the emotionally obsessive spiral he is a part of. Eugene’s attachment to Lee is ambiguous, which allows him to drive deeper into his obsession. To maintain Eugene close, Lee invites Eugene for a trip to South America in search of the fabled telepathic plant ‘yagé’.

During the course of the trip, their surreal and dreamlike perception of the worlds and realities alters the line between hallucination and reality. Lee comes across the stark truth of his desire: his feelings may never be answered. Even after he wishes to connect in a divine manner. What started as a physical trip ultimately transforms into a painful experience of confronting limits set by deep human intimacy and longing for reciprocation.

🎭 Characters and Performances

William Lee (Daniel Craig)

Craig gives one of his best transformative performances in this film, turning from a well-groomed action star to a fragile, desperate, and richly layered man. There are moments of desperate tenderness, frustration, and a quiet, haunting despair that lingers long after watching the film.

Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey)

Starkey plays Eugene with a reserved mystique that makes him emotionally distant. He becomes the gravitational center of Lee’s obsession, and his minimalism heightens the mystery of whether Eugene knows of and tolerates Lee’s infatuation, or completely disregards it.

🎥 Themes and Tone

Obsession & Loneliness

Instead of a drama, the film should be labeled as a film about the desire weight. It paints a vivid picture of unexpressed desire and explores the price of pursuing someone emotionally uninvested in a relationship.

Surrealism & Identity

Hallucination and dream sequences that teeter on the fine line between reality and delusion are heavily relied upon by Guadagnino. The visuals of the film are a reflection of Lee’s broken psyche and, at the same time, a metaphor for his desperate attempts to search for a purpose in life.

Connection vs. There Is No One.

Lee’s pursuit of telepathy represents his deepest desire of wanting to be understood without needing to utter a single word. However, the more he seeks for connection, the more his isolation looms larger.

🎬 Cinematic Style and Production

Direction and Visuals

With a painter’s eye, Guadagnino legends the film’s scenes with saturated colors, shifting lights, and the film’s lush landscapes. These calm and chaotic jungles and Mexico City scenes mirror the straing heels of volatile emotions and further intertwine to the spoofy, dream-ed realm.

Sound Design

Throughout the film’s hypnotic tone, the characters’ emotions are placed to ambient textures, deepening the introspective and psychedelic framework.

⭐ Reception and Interpretation

Critical Response

For its atmospheric storytelling, hypnotic, and challenging the performance, critics have praised Queer. Audiences have had mixed to negative reception to the film’s nature—sparse dialogues and slow pacing.

Audience Reaction

For viewers expecting a traditional and linear, well paced, romance, were most often left restless and frustrated. Those were the opposite to experimental and thematic mood driven artistry were welcomed with open arms.

📌 Key Viewing Notes

Focuses on emotions and psychological tension.

Would be best paired with fans of slow burn character studies art house works, and surrealist films.

The film’s emotion-provoking features stem from its ambiguity—similarly to the relationship most central to the film.

✅ Summary As a film, Queer (2024) breaks boundaries and is deeply personal. The film is stunning in both visuals and themes, so Guadagnino is unrelenting in approaching the details of longing, disconnection, and human estrangement. Daniel Craig’s character showcased in the film is packed with Craig’s most profound performances. The film is structured in a manner that disquiets the viewer as it is not designed for comfort, and Craig’s powerful display of acting is proof of that.