42/13
In 1950s Mexico City, an American immigrant in his forties lives a secluded life in a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student forces him to finally form a meaningful relationship with someone. Daniel Craig eventually convinced Luca Guadagnino to cast Drew Starkey for the role after he auditioned with Guadagnino and told him, “This is it.” Starkey… William Lee: Get on your ass! Or what’s left of him after four years in the Navy.. On the Graham Norton Show: Daniel Craig/Nicola Coughlan/Jesse Eisenberg/Kieran Culkin/Flo (2024). I’ve never seen Naked Lunch (1991), but I often thought about it during the screening of Queer at the 2024 London Film Festival: perhaps this was to be expected, since William S. Burroughs provided the source material for both films. In 1950s Mexico, William Lee, an American writer in his early…forties? Fifty? He spends his days drinking, taking drugs, and having casual sex with other men. One day, a muscular, smart, handsome young man named Eugene walks into a bar, and Lee falls in love with him. But what does Eugene want? And then there’s this telepathic drug to consider… I’m not sure what director Luca Guadagnino is trying to achieve stylistically with this film. The sets are done almost exclusively in checkered colors—like muted reds and olive greens—and they have a vaguely unrealistic, clean, colorful look that makes the film pay homage to the films of the era in which it’s set. . But if that’s the case, why not have a 1950s rock and techno soundtrack? Daniel Craig (is it me, or is he starting to sound like Sid James?) stars as a manipulator who constantly spouts nonsense in an accent that’s clearly not his. Drew Starkey could have given a more subtle performance as Eugene’s manipulator, and he certainly comes across as a primitive guy. Leslie Manville is unrecognizable as the doctor living in the South American jungle – well done, makeup artists! This is the kind of movie that impresses you more with its artistic style than its narrative content. It was okay to watch it once, but I won’t watch it again.