41/15
I’m not gay
Chronology
In 1950s Mexico City, a former American in his forties lives a solitary life in a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student pushes the man to finally establish a meaningful relationship with someone.. Ultimately, it was Daniel Craig who convinced Luca Guadagnino to cast Drew Starkey after watching audition tapes with Guadagnino and telling him “This is the guy” upon seeing Starkey.. [via telepathy] Eugene Allerton: I’m not gay. Lee…
William Lee: I know
Eugene Allerton: I’m disembodied.. With Orpheus (1950). I’ve never seen Naked Lunch (1991), but I found myself thinking about it often during the screening of Queer at the 2024 London Film Festival: probably to be expected, considering that William S. Burroughs provided the source material for both films. In 1950s Mexico, William Lee, an American writer on the wrong side of…
But what does Eugene want?
forty? fifty? He spends his days getting drunk, taking drugs, and having casual sex with other men. One day, the young and muscular Eugene walks into a bar, and Lee is in love with him. And then there’s that telepathic drug to think about…
But if that’s the case, why isn’t the soundtrack definitely 50s rock and techno?
I’m not sure what director Luca Guadagnino is trying to achieve stylistically with this film. The sets are decorated almost exclusively in solid colors, like dull reds and olive greens, and they have that vaguely unrealistic, stripped-down, Technicolor look that makes me think the intention is to pay homage to the films of the era in which the film is set. Daniel Craig (is it my imagination or is he starting to sound like Sid James?) is hampered in the lead role by having to constantly spout nonsense in an accent that is clearly not his. Drew Starkey is able to give a more subtle performance as the manipulative Eugene and he certainly looks the part. Leslie Manville is unrecognizable as a doctor living in the South American jungle – kudos to the makeup team!
It was nice to watch once, but I won’t watch it again
This is the kind of film that I feel is more about artistic style than narrative substance.
