Queer (2024)
A review by Shlomoh Sherman
April 2, 2025

Read about Queer On the Internet Movie Data Base


Queer [2024]
Plot Synopsis: In 1950s Mexico City, an American immigrant in his late forties leads a solitary life amidst a small American town. The arrival of a young student stirs the man into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Writers: William S. Burroughs, Justin Kuritzkes
Stars: Daniel Craig, Daan de Wit, Jason Schwartzman
Release date: March 29, 2025 (United States)
Countries of origin: Italy, United States
Languages: English, Spanish, French
Filming locations: Cinecittà Studios, Rome, Italy
Production companies: The Apartment, Frenesy Film Company, Fremantle Media North America
Watch on Max, Prime Video, Hulu
Box office:
Gross US & Canada: $3,736,813
Opening weekend US & Canada: $200,951Dec 1, 2024
Gross worldwide: $5,450,054
Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes
Color: Color
Sound mix: Dolby Digital
Nominated for
Motion Picture Rating (MPA)
Rated  <BR>
Parents Guide: See below


Storyline:
I knew little about this movie before HULU started advertising it, and I was hesitant to see it because, after all, who needs to watch another movie about gay people? But what caused me to watch it is it's star, Daniel Craig. I have long admired Craig as an actor, and although I have not fully watched him in the Bond movies, I have actually liked him in those films in which I did see him.

Craig plays Lee, an American living in Mexico City. Lee lives the life of a libertine, spending his time in places frequented by other American expatriates, especially Mexican gay bars.

Lee meets and is immediately smitten by a young ex-military man, Eugene Allerton. Allerton is heterosexual but submits to Lee's sexual advances as a way of amusing himself by tolerating Lee's sexual desire.

Sometime during their relationship, Lee becomes interested in telepathy. He learns that there is a drug called YAGE down in South America, a mixture of AYAHUASCA and other plants. Lee tells Eugene that he has read that the US government and the Russian government have been experimenting with YAGE for mind control purposes. YAGE supposedly can grant people the power to read minds. He and Eugene head down to Ecuadorian jungle to find this mysterius drug.

YAGE has an emotional effect on both men, especially on Eugene who realizes that he does not love Lee the way Lee wants to be loved and that he cannot remain with him.

The only other thing I would like to say about Queer is that I found the prolonged homoseual sex scenes disturbing. Hollywood is forcing long, graphic, explicit sex scenes on us which are unnecessary. Our image of Daniel Criag is that he is a he-man, a powerful knight of justice. He IS James Bond. To watch him perform felatio on another man made me very uneasy.

As usual, I include in my movie reviews, an excerpt from at least one reviewer on IMDB. The reviewer bewlow seems not to have that problem with the sex scenes.

VitinhaOriginal's December 10, 2024 review
Passion is surreal and purposeful:
The chemistry in this film is unreal.
What a beautiful film by Guadagnino about desire as something transcendental and, at the same time, a burden.
A film that beautifully captures a story rich in almost supernatural eroticism about bodies and touches.
I'm happy to see this film, but it's not for everyone, especially those who don't want to embrace all the narrative's curveballs.
With a mysterious ending and sex scenes that may seem exaggerated to some prudes, Guadagnino is one of the few greats working who hasn't given up on lust as an instrument in his stories, and that's beautiful.
Queer shows an extraordinary capture through sound design and hallucinatory representation of how sex is such a powerful experience for humans and a fundamental part of being human that it cannot be omitted from stories due to the public's complacency, Queer challenges you.
The art direction and photography are excellent, with beautiful scene composition and excellent acting. Daniel Craig can break your heart by doing very little and Queer seems to be just another stage on this new journey alongside Knives Out of someone who wants to be more than an iconic 007.

KUDOS TO Daniel Craig as William Lee; I remember Daniel in the wonderful films - Road To Perdition, Cowboys And aliens, and of course, the James Bond movies.

KUDOS TO the other actors and actresses in the film with whom I am not familiar.


Trivia:
Daniel Craig was ultimately the one who convinced Luca Guadagnino to cast Drew Starkey after watching audition tapes with Guadagnino and telling him "That's the guy" after seeing Starkey's.
The film contains two Nirvana songs - "Come As You Are" and "Marigold" - and a cover of "All Apologies" performed by Sin ad O'Connor. Kurt Cobain was friends with William S. Burroughs, having been introduced to his work in school, and even collaborated with Burroughs on an EP titled "The "Priest" They Called Him" released in 1993. Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino revealed in an interview during the film's release that the use of these songs was intentional to highlight Cobain and Burroughs' friendship.
Several articles about this movie's screening at the 2024 Venice Film Festival (including Jada Yuan's piece in the Washington Post and Kyle Buchanan's profile of Daniel Craig in the New York Times) noted that there were loud and frequent vocalizations of disgust from some male members of the audience every time there was a love scene between two men. Yuan derided anyone who saw the movie but somehow did not know to expect an LGBTQ storyline based on the title alone. Audience members who expressed shock that Craig (best-known for playing the hyper-masculine womanizer character James Bond) would take a gay role were clearly unfamiliar with much of his prior career; Craig has played several other gay men, including in the blockbuster "Knives Out" mystery movie series. On the stage, Craig played the role of one of the best-known gay characters in theater history: in 1993 he played the deeply closeted, right-wing Mormon lawyer and political consultant Joseph Porter Pitt in the UK premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America by Tony Kushner at the National Theatre in London.

Crazy credits:
Although every effort has been made to identify and contact all intellectual property rights holders of the materials used in the film, the producer remains available to any rights holders who were unknown or unreachable at the time of the film's production and/or in case of any unintentional omissions.

Soundtracks:
All Apologies Written by Kurt Cobain (as Kurt Donald Cobain) Performed by Sin ad O'Connor Courtesy of Chrysalis Records Limited Sin Ti Written by Pepe Gu zar (as Jos Guizar Morfin) Performed by Los Panchos (as Trio Los Panchos) (p) 1948 Sony Music Entertainment M xico, S.A. de C.V. Mi Coraz n Written by Ma o Lopez (as Manuel Lopez Arocha) Performed by Rafael Mendez and His Orchestra Courtesy of Tufamerica, Inc. By arrangement with Star Vibe Group Muchos Besos Written by Rafael Hern ndez (as Rafael Hernandez Marin) Performed by Martin y Malena Courtesy of Essential World Masters/Cleopatra Records By arrangement with The Orchard Come as You Are Written by Kurt Cobain (as Kurt Donald Cobain) Performed by Nirvana Courtesy of Geffen Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises Darktown Strutters Ball Written by Shelton Brooks Performed by Benny Goodman Courtesy of SOUNDIES/The Orchard Used by permission of Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC La Malaguena Written by Elpidio Ram rez, Pedro Galindo Performed by La Bruja de Texcoco Para Que Mentir Written by Manuel Mendoza Performed by Lydia Mendoza Courtesy of San Juan Music By arrangement with Fine Gold Music Suerte Cruel Written by A. Carranza, R. Rodriguez Performed by Chencho y Carrancita Courtesy of Countdown Media GmbH, a BMG Company/BMG Rights Management (Italy) srl And the Angels Sing Written by Johnny Mercer (as John H. Mercer), Ziggy Elman (as Z. Elman) Performed by Benny Goodman Licensed by Warner Music Publishing Italy Srl Courtesy of Forman Bros. Recordings in association with Lionfish Music Group (c) Johnny Mercer Foundation Saturday Night Fish Fry - Pts. 1 & 2 Written by Louis Jordan and Ellis Walsh Performed by Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five (as Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five) Published by Ocheri Publishing Corp./Cherio Corporation Administered by Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. By arrangement with Universal Music Italia Srl Begin the Beguine Written by Cole Porter Performed by The Bill Danzeisen Big Band Orchestra Courtesy of d2 Music I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles Written by James Brockman (as J. Brockman), John W. Kellette (as J. Kellette), James Kendis (as J. Kendis), Nat Vincent (as N. Vincent) Performed by Jay McShann Licensed by Warner Music Publishing Italy Srl Courtesy of ESP-Disk, Ltd. By arrangement with Fine Gold Music Yes Sir, That's My Baby Written by Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson Performed by Eddie Cantor Courtesy of Bacci Bros Records By arrangement with Fine Gold Music 17 Days (Piano & a Microphone 1983 Version) Written by Prince (as P. Nelson), Matt Fink (as M. Fink), Wendy Melvoin (as W. Melvoin), Lisa Coleman (as L. Coleman) Performed by Prince Published by NPG Publishing - Controversy Music Published in Italy by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi Srl Courtesy of NPG Records Inc. under exclusive license to Warner Records Inc. By arrangement with Warner Music Italy Srl Marigold Written by Dave Grohl (as David Eric Grohl) Performed by Nirvana Published by Arlandria Music/HiFi Music IP Issuer, L.P. Administered by Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. Courtesy of Geffen Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises Roses of Picardy Written by Frederick Edward Weatherly (as F. Weatherly), Haydn Wood (as H. Wood) Performed by Frankie Laine Licensed by Warner Chappell Music Italiana Srl Courtesy of Resnik Music Group By arrangement with Mutiny Recordings Perdido Written by Juan Tizol (as T. Tizol), Hans Lengsfelder (as H. Lenk), Ervin Drake (as E. Drake) Performed by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Charles Mingus Published by Campbell Connelly & Co Ltd. Published in Italy by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi Srl Courtesy of Craft Recordings, a division of Concord Sui Ghiacciai Written by Alberto Ferrari (as A. Ferrari), L. Ferrari, Roberta Sammarelli (as R. Sammarelli) Performed by Verdena Published in Italy by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi Srl - Jestrai Srl Courtesy of Universal Music Italia Srl Do I Worry? Written by Stanley Cowan, Bobby Worth Performed by The Ink Spots Courtesy of Geffen Records By arrangement with Universal Music Italia Srl Leave Me Alone Written by Stephen Morris (as S. Morris), Bernard Sumner (as B. Sumner), Peter Hook (as P. Hook), Gillian Gilbert (as G. Gilbert) Performed by New Order Published by Vitalturn Co. Ltd. Published in Italy by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi Srl Courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd. By arrangement with Warner Music Italy Srl Musicology Written by Prince (as P. Nelson) Performed by Prince Published by NPG Publishing Published in Italy by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi Srl Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend) Written by Stan Jones (as Stanley Jones) Performed by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra Licensed by Warner Chappell Music Italiana Srl Originally Recorded 1949. All rights reserved by BMG Music Puzzle Written by Alberto Ferrari (as A. Ferrari), L. Ferrari, Roberta Sammarelli (as R. Sammarelli) Performed by Verdena Published in Italy by Universal Music Publishing Ricordi Srl - Jestrai Srl Courtesy of Universal Music Italia Srl Vaster Than Empires Written by Trent Reznor, William S. Burroughs (as William Burroughs), Atticus Ross Performed by Caetano Veloso, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Arranged and Produced by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Vocals for Caetano Veloso produced by Caetano Veloso, Lucas Nunes, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Courtesy of The Null Corporation II and Missing Pieces, Inc. and Uns Produ oes Artisticas


PARENTS GUIDE FOR QUEER (2024

Motion Picture Rating (MPA)
Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, strong drug content, language and brief violence.
Certifications:
Argentina 16 Australia MA15+ Belgium 16 Brazil 16 Canada 14AAlberta18ABritish Columbia18AOntario13+Quebec Finland K-16 France 12 avec avertissement Germany 16 Ireland 16 Japan R15+ Lithuania N-16 Luxembourg 16 Mexico C Netherlands 16 New Zealand R16 Russia 18+ Singapore R21edited version Spain 16ICAA Sweden 15 Switzerland 16 Taiwan 18+ United Kingdom 18 United States Rcert#55170

SEX &amp; NUDITY:
Severe
Graphic depictions of anal sex, oral sex and handjobs with male buttock nudity.
Graphic male genital and buttocks nudity.
A man touches the breasts and vagina of a naked woman.

VIOLENCE & GORE:
Mild
A man is shot.
A man with a gun in the jungle falls and fires a shot off and is clearly in pain in the next scene.

PROFANITY:
Moderate
Moderate uses of "fuck", "faggot", "shit", "ass", "bastard" and "crap".

ALCOHOL, DRUGS & SMOKING:
Severe
Very extended sequences include heroin and cocaine use and disturbing body-horror like hypnotic visuals.
A lengthy ayahuasca trip is depicted with disturbing hallucinations.
A needle is shown hanging in someone's arm during a dream sequence, implying heroin use.
Lee snorts cocaine at one point.

FRIGHTENING & INTENSE SCENES:
Moderate
Strong drug themes, sex scenes and nudity.



Queer (2024)
Top cast:
Daniel Craig ... William Lee
Daan de Wit  ... Karl Steinberg
Jason Schwartzman ... Joe Guidry
Henrique Zaga ... Winston Moor
Colin Bates ... Tom Williams
Drew Starkey ... Eugene Allerton
Simon Rizzoni ... Ship Ahoy Bartender
Amir Antonio Samande Chavez ... Ship Ahoy Bartender
Drew Droege ... John Dum&equeerte;
Ariel Schulman ... Tom Weston
Andra Ursuta ... Mary
La Bruja de Texcoco ... Chimu Bar Artist
Omar Apollo ... Chimu Bar Guy
Silverio Castro ... Hotel Owner
David Lowery ... Jim Cochran
Andrea Montserrat Rios Hernandez ... Ship Ahoy Waitress
Claudio Cardenas ... Ship Ahoy Chess Player
Gilberto Barraza ... Cab Driver


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