42/42
In Mexico City in the 1950s, an American immigrant in his late forties leads a lonely life in a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student prompts the man to finally form a meaningful relationship with someone.. It was Daniel Craig who ultimately convinced Luca Guadagnino to hire Drew Starkey after watching the audition tapes with Guadagnino and telling him "That' is the guy" after seeing Starkey’s.. William Lee: Sit on your ass! Or what’s left of it after four years in the Navy.. Featured on The Graham Norton Show: Daniel Craig/Nicola Coughlan/Jesse Eisenberg/Kieran Culkin/Flo (2024). I’ve never seen 'Naked Lunch' (1991), but I found myself thinking about it often during a screening of 'Queer' at the 2024 London Film Festival: probably to be expected, as William S Burroughs provided the source material for both films. In the 1950s' México, William Lee, an American writer from the wrong side of… the forties? Fifty? He spends his days getting drunk, shooting and casually having sex with other men. One day, a muscular, smart young dude, Eugene, walks into a bar and Lee is smitten. But what does Eugene himself want? Plus there’s that telepathic drug to think about… I’m not sure what, stylistically, director Luca Guadagnino is trying to achieve with this film. The sets are done almost exclusively in block colors – dull reds and olive greens, for example – and have that vaguely unrealistic, clean, Technicolor look that made me think the intention was to pay homage to the films of the era in which the film is set. But if that’s the case, why a decidedly non-1950s rock and techno soundtrack? Daniel Craig (is it my imagination or is he starting to look like Sid James?) is hampered in the lead role as he constantly has to recite gibberish in an accent that clearly isn’t his. Drew Starkey can give a more subtle performance as the manipulative Eugene, and he certainly looks stylish. Lesley Manville is unrecognizable as a doctor living in a South American jungle – well done to the makeup team! This is the kind of movie that feels more about art style than storytelling content to me. It was okay to see once, but I won’t watch it again.