Maybe you can forgive the slowed-down, stripped-back cover song trailer cliché when it’s packaged as part of one of Luca Guadagnino‘s lovely, seductive films. Like this rendition of “All Apologies,” the Queer trailer is full of tenderness and longing painted over something harder and uglier: the flop sweat of a man (Daniel Craig) awkwardly trying to lure a lover (Drew Starkey); the gray of his face as he detoxes from drugs; the surreality of his psychedelic exploration. It’s a tantalizing taste of Guadagnino’s latest, which premieres in theaters to a limited opening on November 27.
According to A24’s synopsis for Queer, adapted from the William Burroughs novel of the same name, the year is “1950. William Lee (Craig), an American expat in Mexico City, spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few contacts with other members of the small American community. His encounter with Eugene Allerton (Starkey), an expat former soldier, new to the city, shows him, for the first time, that it might be finally possible to establish an intimate connection with somebody.”
The Queer trailer teases Craig and Starkey’s critically acclaimed performances. Lee is a hedonist, though one who doesn’t seem fully comfortable in his own skin. “A wise old queen taught me that I had a duty to live,” he proclaims. “To conquer hate with knowledge, and sincerity, and love. The difficulty is to convince someone else he is really part of you.” Eugene holds himself aloof, seemingly untouchable even when they’re sharing the same bed. But as their affair progresses the unlikely couple open a door that can’t be closed—”All you can do is look away.”
Queer premiered at the Venice Film Festival to largely positive reviews, with particular praise given to Craig’s performance. (The A.V. Club gave the film a B-.) Like Guadagnino’s other 2024 film Challengers, it features a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross with a screenplay from Justin Kuritzkes. The film also stars Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Henrique Zaga, and Omar Apollo.
English (US) ·