42/27
In 1950s Mexico City, an American immigrant in his late forties lives a solitary life in the midst of a small American community. However, the arrival of a new student encourages the man to finally make a meaningful connection with someone. Ultimately, it was Daniel Craig who convinced Luca Guadagnino to cast Drew Starkey after he watched the audition tapes with Guadagnino and told him "That's the guy." after seeing Starkey’s.. William Lee: Sit on Your Ass! Or What’s Left of It After Four Years in the Navy. Starring The Graham Norton Show: Daniel Craig/Nicola Collen/Jesse Eisenberg/Kieran Culkin/Flo (2024). I’ve never seen Naked Lunch (1991), but I thought about it often during the screening of Queer at the 2024 London Film Festival. This was probably to be expected, as William S Burroughs was the source material for both films. In 1950s Mexico, William Lee, an American writer from… the wrong side of forty? Fifty? Spends his days getting drunk, shooting, and having casual sex with other men. One day, a muscular, smart young guy walks into a bar, and Lee is smitten. But what does Eugene want? Then there’s the telepathic drugs… I’m not sure what director Luca Guadagnino is trying to achieve stylistically with this film. The sets are decorated almost entirely in block colors – dull reds and olive greens, for example – and have a vaguely unreal, clean Technicolor look that makes me think the intention is to pay homage to the films of the era in which the film is set. set. But if that’s the case, why is Daniel Craig (is it my imagination, or is he starting to look like Sid James?) so overwhelmed by the 1950s rock and techno soundtrack that he’s constantly having to deliver nonsense? The accent is clearly not his own. Drew Starkey is able to give a more nuanced performance as the manipulative Eugene, and certainly looks the more appealing part. Lesley Manville is unrecognizable as the doctor who lives in the South American jungle – well done to the makeup team. This film seems to me to be more about artistic style than story. It was good to see once, but I won’t watch it again.
