Queer (18)

Luca Guadagnino takes on the unenviable task of adapting one of William S. Burroughs’ dense and winding novels. And he does so with gusto thanks in part to two fabulous leads.

Daniel Craig is Lee, a gay expatriate based on Burroughs himself. Lee lives a relatively isolated life in Mexico City after the second world war, hanging around bars, drinking, doing drugs and picking up guys. Lee conceives a passionate obsession with Gene (Drew Starkey), a handsome young army veteran, who appears at first to be straight, but slowly is attracted to Lee. As they develop a bond, they venture on a strange and enlightening trip to South America in search of a fabled drug.

Burroughs is a tricky customer, and there are very few successful adaptations of his work; Beat Generation prose generally doesn’t translate well to screen, but Queer is head-and-shoulders above the rest, not least because of the surrealist visuals and genuine warmth the film exudes. Despite the story’s seemingly fractured nature, Queer feels like a fever dream where the love and genuine connection shared by the two central characters help pull you through its trippy odyssey.