The writing of legendary Beat Generation author, gun enthusiast, and notorious opiate addict William S. Burroughs was long considered too bizarre and experimental to make the transition to film. But that didn’t stop body-horror-master David Cronenberg from adapting “Naked Lunch” in 1991.
Thirty-three years later, prolific gay filmmaker Luca Guadagnino tries his busy hand at “Queer” (A24), Burroughs’ 1952 novel which was unpublished until 1985. An alcohol and drug-induced fever dream of sexual compulsion and discovery, as well as a hallucinogenic quest for telepathy and connection, “Queer” features one of the most extraordinary and raw performances of Daniel Craig’s career.
Craig (who earlier played gay in “Love Is The Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon”) is ex-pat (William) Lee, a character clearly based on Burroughs, living in Mexico City in the early 1950s. A writer of independent means, Lee spends virtually every waking hour intoxicated on a variety of legal and illicit substances. But his most powerful intoxication occurs when he encounters stunning ex-serviceman Allerton (Drew Starkey), who shares Lee’s fascination with inebriation, in the city’s ex-pat community.
Painfully socially awkward, Lee pursues Allerton with all the focus he can muster. While initially non-committal regarding his sexual identity (remember, this is the 1950s, after all), Allerton eventually relents to Lee’s advances and has a pleasurable experience. But he remains aloof, which only adds to Lee’s frustration.
Nevertheless, Allerton agrees to accompany Lee on his Amazonian odyssey to quell his obsession with finding and experimenting with yagé (aka ayahuasca). Despite being discouraged by those in the know, Lee eventually encounters Dr. Cotter (the ubiquitous Lesley Manville), who fears that he is after her medical research. Once Lee makes his specific interest known to Cotter, she provides him with yage, and he and Allerton embark on the trip of their lives.
The scene, which goes on far too long, and incorporates a dream that references Burroughs’ famous William Tell tragedy, is sure to cause a mix of anxiety and nervous laughter from some audience members.
Guadagnino gets the most out of his cast. Aside from Craig, Starkey, and Manville, Jason Schwartzman’s turn as Joe, a gay man who has bad luck with an assortment of tricks, provides the movie with some necessary comic relief. There are some distractions, including sequences that feel interminable, as well as the anachronistic use of music such as songs performed by Nirvana, New Order, Prince, and Sinead O’Connor.
Rating: B
