Review | ‘Queer’ — A shot in the head and a knife to the heart

Photo Collage by Izzy Betz

Spoiler alert: This review contains minor spoilers for “Queer.” 

Chapter 1: Have you ever been to Mexico?

In 1951, William S. Burroughs accidentally shot his wife, Joan Vollmer, in the face. 

They had fled New Orleans after Burroughs was facing prison time for charges related to illegal drug use. The precise details remain unknown, but on Sept. 6 in a Mexico City bar, Burroughs supposedly took a handgun from his bag and said to his doomed lover, Vollmer, “It’s time for our William Tell act.” Drunk and suffering from amphetamine withdrawals, Vollmer placed a glass on top of her head. Burroughs aimed and fired — hitting her in the face. She died a few hours later at the age of 28.

Burroughs went on to write the novella that would become “Queer,” but left it unpublished until 1985. In the foreword of the published version, he finally revealed what moved him to write the novella.

“The book is motivated and formed by an event which is never mentioned, in fact, is carefully avoided: the accidental shooting death of my wife, Joan, in September 1951.”

The novella has been turned into a major motion picture by director Luca Guadagnino. Set in 1950s Mexico City, “Queer” follows Daniel Craig as William Lee — the pen name that Burroughs used for quite some time. Lee is an American expat in his late forties who leads a solitary life among a community of other American men fleeing the States. The arrival of Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a student and recently discharged U.S. Navy serviceman, stirs Lee into initiating a meaningful connection with someone. 

Guadagnino has been working overtime. This is his second major release of the year, the first being the iconic culture-shifting phenomenon that was “Challengers” — a sweaty, sexy tennis threesome. His past work includes “Bones and All,” “Suspiria” and the masterpiece that put him on the map, “Call Me By Your Name.” 

If you go into “Queer” expecting something that falls perfectly in line with his other work, you are going to come out the other side either deeply confused or disappointed. One truth about Guadagnino — that I think all fans of his will know — is that you can never predict what he will do next.

Chapter 2: Traveling companies

The quality of Craig’s performance in this film comes as no surprise. He brings to life the role of Lee, an insecure and self-conscious American living in Mexico. Lee lacks the stoicism of James Bond or the confidence and humor of Benoit Blanc in the “Knives Out” films, but brings to the table some more universally felt traits like awkwardness and desire. 

Maybe he isn’t your favorite Bond, but he is — without a shadow of a doubt — one of the best actors we have today. He absolutely transforms in this role. I forgot Craig was acting underneath the character of Lee until Professor Joe Rosenberg  — who was sitting next to me during the movie — returned from what I thought was the bathroom in the middle of the screening, saying, “I just met James Bond.” 

Starkey is fresh on the scene for many, but some longtime fans will know him from “Outer Banks.” His character in that series, Rafe Cameron, graced the screens of Netflix subscribers in 2020, and Starkey brought the classic Wattpad-like psychotic bad boy to life. 

Those who know of his past projects may have been wary of Starkey being in a feature film from such an acclaimed director. What does a Netflix actor know about A24?

I am happy to report that Starkey puts on the performance of a lifetime as Allerton — maybe one of my favorite performances of the year. Call me crazy, but when you look at him on screen, he's just got a spark. 

Allerton has significantly fewer lines than Lee. Starkey uses his facial expressions and emotions like no other, giving us moments of looking, longing and lusting with practically just his eyes.

Jason Schwartzmann and Omar Apollo are among the supporting cast members in the film. Schwartzmann is really unrecognizable. He is the comedic break of the film, bringing some light and funny moments after intense scenes. Apollo is known to the world as a singer, but he was mesmerizing to watch on screen. I hope this is not the end of his acting career. My suggestion: keep putting him in Guadagnino films — and let him sing even more songs the next time.

Something that has made me so irrationally angry during the press tour for this film has been the abundance of interviewers asking a variation of the question: “How do you feel as a straight actor playing a gay character?” Craig and Starkey have likely been media-trained to respond a certain way to this question so as to not cause any bad press.

During the Q&A with students portion of this Master Class, Craig was, as you expected, asked the very same question. He responded with something along the lines of that he didn’t take the role because of the character's sexuality. He takes roles based on a character's wants and desires — something that hasn’t changed since starting his career.

I am so happy that Craig and Starkey took on these roles because I truly do not think there would have been anyone better.

Chapter 3: The botanist in the jungle

Some people are not going to get this film. I use the slang term “get” because I don’t think there is one singular understanding or takeaway from “Queer.” Everyone is going to interpret this film differently. A lot will leave “Queer” filled with anger — upset that they didn’t get the emotional experience they were promised, that they yearn for when they watch Guadagnino’s films. 

Another film many people did not “get” was another 2024 release, “I Saw The TV Glow.” It may seem like a far stretch to compare the two, but to me, they are undoubtedly connected. “I Saw The TV Glow” shares the perspective of queer people looking ahead on the life they have to live, worrying that it’s moving too fast to actually live. “Queer” shares the perspective of a queer life already lived, one looking back on what could have been if they were able to fully embrace their identity. 

In the film, Lee is searching for the hallucinogenic drug “yage,” known to most as ayahuasca. He thinks its magical properties, rumored to let people communicate telepathically, will help him fill the holes in his life — and in his new relationship with Allerton. It becomes a fascination, an addiction, and Lee goes to great lengths to make contact with a researcher in the jungle to test the drug on him and Euguene. 

“I want to talk to you without speaking,” Lee says to Allerton. This obsession with finding another form of communication — trying to understand someone in a different way — is relatable to all, no matter what sexual orientation.

Photo Courtesy of Matt Harbicht

Epilogue: Two years later

Dodge College of Film and Media Arts hosted an early screening of “Queer,” followed by a Q&A with Craig himself. 

Craig is a gem. I could gush about the way he spoke so fondly of the film and his admiration for the people he worked on the Bond films with, but the piece of his conversation that stood out to me was something director Guadagnino said to him many times:

“All art is political; it should be at least.”

“Queer” is a spectacular film, and a beautiful commentary piece on how queer people are viewed in society now, even though the film is set in the 1950s. It took me a couple of days to come to that realization — thinking back on every line, every shot, every sad and joyous feeling. Similar to what I said before, there are going to be a lot of people who dislike this. It’s not for them. Guadagnino wasn’t making a movie for mainstream audiences like “Challengers” earlier this year.

For the people out there who love “Queer,” I permit us to gatekeep this film. 

There is one quote from Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay for “Queer” that stuck with me — one that feels like the thesis statement of the film — that I would like to share:

“Door’s already open, can’t close it now. All you can do is look away, but why would ya?”