“Queer”
Luca Guadagnino needs no great introduction.
In recent years, he has made a name for himself thanks to his films, which are true artistic masterpieces: from the choice of location to the cinematography, to stories that touch the most controversial parts of our souls, and the sensitivity that shines through in every scene.
His works, rather than prompting questions from viewers, leave them abandoned to whatever world the Italian director wants to create, with an attention to sensitivity and details evident in every scene. These productions are also marked by the exceptional casts that tie the stories together and the music that often plays a central role (let’s not forget the impeccable choice of Sufjan Stevens in “Call Me By Your Name”).
At the 81st Venice Film Festival, Luca Guadagnino presented what could be the defining work of his career: “Queer,” based on the novel by William Burroughs. “When I was 17, reading it changed my life,” said Guadagnino, and after 35 years, the work is finally complete.
This movie appears to be a career pinnacle not only for the director but also for Daniel Craig, who plays the role of Lee, a homosexual living in 1950s libertine Mexico City, where he falls in love with Gene, portrayed brilliantly by Drew Starkey. Lee also attempts to involve Gene, for a fee, in the search for a plant that enables telepathy.
Burroughs's novel was released a full 30 years after it was written, as it was considered obscene due to its explicit homosexual content, which was deemed unacceptable at the time. However, it is not the homosexuality (thankfully) that has made the film the talk of the town in recent days, but rather the second half of the movie. According to many, it loses itself in a dream-like journey that may unsettle viewers, or even bore them, as they are forcefully dragged into Craig’s on-screen trip.
QUEER (2024) Yannis Drakoulidis / Courtesy of press office
The soundtrack, along with the use of non-original music, as well as the electronic dimension, also contributes to contrasting and disrupting the 1950s setting of the film. Worth mentioning is the first encounter between Lee and Gene, set to the notes of Nirvana’s "Come as You Are". Additionally, the involvement of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross in the music underscores how groundbreaking this musical pairing is for a production that clearly evokes other worlds and times.
“Queer” is an erotic and hallucinatory story that takes us on a journey where it is easy to get lost, yet it is built in an organic way. We witness the work of a craftsman rather than a master, with a set design that highlights the beauty of Mexico City as a cinematic and somewhat unrealistic reality, yet one that is so precise and enjoyable. We recognize the colors, the tones, the smell of tobacco; everything creates a hypersensory universe, thanks to the cinematography of Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who has previously collaborated with Luca Guadagnino on “Challengers” and “Call Me By Your Name”. The ‘50s era becomes contemporary; we find ourselves in one place and a thousand others at the same time, and it is an absolutely perfect choice to include Verdena as well to complete this picture.
This is not the first time that the Italian alternative rock band has approached the Venice Film festival; in fact, they contributed to the soundtrack of the D'Innocenzo brothers' film "America Latina" in 2021. However, for those familiar with Verdena, their appearance on the red carpet in Venice seemed like a mirage, something that most likely will not happen again. That is why it came as a shock to learn that Guadagnino used their music for "Queer".
Verdena are known for their shy nature; they are artists who focus on their music and don’t stress over anything else. Their music is characterized by sensitivity, aggression, and strangeness, leaving listeners with a profound sense of being moved. During live performances, they are exactly the same, giving the impression that they don't want to be there, yet they play with body and soul. Fans often describe their live shows as having a typical "Verdena attitude", as if they are watching caged animals expressing both anger and love, releasing emotions in a way that seems uncertain but compelling. After reading this brief summary of who Verdena is, I hope my enthusiasm for their inclusion in the film’s soundtrack is justified. Even without having seen the film, Verdena's music allows me to anticipate the desperation and confusion that Daniel Craig brings to the screen. A tormented soul who travels alone, exploring the land and desperately seeking someone who loves him. He longs to feel the warmth of another person, a longing that is more human than sexual.
These bands take us through the story of two individuals who meet and merge, but when it comes time to love each other, they are gripped by fear. They find themselves unable to be together at the right time and place, leading them to constantly evade each other. Verdena and Nirvana, along with Prince, Trent Reznor, and certainly many others that we will discover with the film’s official release, contribute perfectly to representing the melancholy and the desire to lose ourselves in our innermost feelings, as well as the unhealthy habits we stumble into when confronted with pain.
“Queer” demonstrates, through its meticulous construction, something that is difficult to express. It is moving and empathetic, showing an unbridgeable distance between two people, set to the notes of artists who capture this feeling perfectly. It's like an emotional tug-of-war that never stops and is, in an exhausting way, a solitary journey we undertake when we fall in love with someone, lost in our most inexplicable anxieties.
In the novel, Burroughs often states “I am not like this” in denial of his homosexuality, but also in denial of being like others, of being like you all, regardless of gender and loneliness.
Guadagnino describes “Queer” as exploring the vulnerability we experience when faced with the emotions of love, rather than a defensive attitude. He also moves away from portraying Daniel Craig's machismo, emphasizing that the focus of “Queer” is not on a macho icon becoming gay in a film, but rather on how Craig transforms into a “loving machine”.
