Queer

The film is based on a William S. Burrough’s novel which was published this year in Poland in a new translation. Mexico, 1950s, alleys that are empty in the daily heat, come to life at night. Then, American immigrant William Lee (Daniel Craig) goes hunting for alcohol, drugs and young boys who might let him forget about getting old and all his broken hopes – if just for a moment. The plot thickens when one night he meets the handsome Eugene (Drew Starkey), and he becomes obsessed with him. Soon he convinces him to come on a trip deep into the Amazon jungle in search for a plant with exceptional hallucinogenic properties. The film, directed by the festival favorite Luca Guadagnino (Bones and All, 13.AFF; Suspiria, 9.AFF) is a bitter yet passionate, sensual yet intellectual journey towards the farthest edges of identity and consciousness, set to the rhythm of music composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who are also responsible for the addictive score for the director’s previous movie, Challengers. The cinematography, vibrating with lust, is also worthy of attention: it’s the work of leading Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, a regular collaborator of Apichatpong Weerasethakul. If that was not enough, we also get the best falling in love scene to Nirvana’s Come as You Are.