Queer is the latest film from director Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me by Your Name), based on the novella of the same name by William S. Boroughs. Escaping drug possession charges in the United States, expatriate William Lee (Daniel Craig) drifts through 1950s Mexico City and between partners in search of writing inspiration and, more importantly, his next fix. The lost Lee seemingly finds direction when he spots Eugene (Drew Starkey), a young and handsome ex-serviceman. Though Eugene is not expressly gay, Lee—who struggled with his queer identity when he was younger—begins to pursue Eugene in a coyly romantic game of cat-and-mouse. As the two grow closer, Lee’s fascination with the withholding young man begins to spiral into a desperate yearning for Eugene’s reassurance, approval, and reciprocated desire. As the two men struggle to come to terms with their wants and needs, Queer weaves a comedic and beautifully heart-rending tale of love that “pulses with the melancholy that comes with seeing and feeling too much, of a mind-altering love that reconfigures your entire sense of selfhood.”—Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire.
