"I'm not queer. I'm disembodied."
Incredibly faithful adaptation of William S Burroughs' QUEER gives way to a haunting, melancholic, surreal romance film that goes further than just being Carol for the boys with the focus on existentialism, addiction, communication, bodies, dreams, and memories. This reminds me more of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's haunting and magical realist films. On top of having a phenomenal score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with an unforgettable piano and woodwind theme motif ("Pure Love" track) and credits song "Vaster than Empires" that references Burroughs' memoirs ("How can a man who sees and feels be other than sad"). There are some other fantastic and anachronistic needle drops, particularly involving Nirvana and Verdana's "Puzzle". The fivesome team of Justin Kuritzkes, Luca Guadagnino, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross deliver an even stronger best film of the year than Challengers, especially when it comes to emotional resonance. I was teary-eyed by the end, and the book never even took me there. The racist edges of Burroughs' characters are sanded off here but this is still about privileged American immigrants drifting about in '50s Mexico and some slurs are still casually thrown out of their mouths and a lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from the book. Jason Schwartzman as Joe in heavy makeup and fat suit as the chubby comedic relief almost steals the scenes he's in. Daniel Craig delivers an amazing Oscar-worthy performance but Drew Starkey as Eugene Allerton is no slouch either, and their aching body language speaks more than any of the words which are often mumbled anyway, particularly a recurring thing of their cuddles and the legs over each other, or how Craig's Lee touches the back and ribs. The dreams have some unforgettable imagery that bolsters the haunting atmosphere, along with the astral projections of his hands reaching out as externalisations of Lee's desires. There is a memorable naked dance in Ecuador when they're on ayahuasca (yage) that reaches Cronenbergian levels as their bodies meld into each other. The centipede signifies the danger of this obsessive romance that has Lee going into teen-like giddy silliness and awkwardness as he pursues a young man and requesting for him to be nice to him twice a week. The painstakingly detailed props and mise en scene add a lot to the character of the sets and locations, and there are some fantastic uses of miniatures (Lee's eye looks into a hotel and sees himself) and painted backdrops that speaks to the surrealist tendencies, along with the unforgettable practical effects when they're high and vomiting scrotums containing organs. There is so much love and pain instilled into this film that it is easily one of Guadagnino's best and also possibly my favourite film of 2024.
Incredibly faithful adaptation of William S Burroughs' QUEER gives way to a haunting, melancholic, surreal romance film that goes further than just being Carol for the boys with the focus on existentialism, addiction, communication, bodies, dreams, and memories. This reminds me more of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's haunting and magical realist films. On top of having a phenomenal score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with an unforgettable piano and woodwind theme motif ("Pure Love" track) and credits song "Vaster than Empires" that references Burroughs' memoirs ("How can a man who sees and feels be other than sad"). There are some other fantastic and anachronistic needle drops, particularly involving Nirvana and Verdana's "Puzzle". The fivesome team of Justin Kuritzkes, Luca Guadagnino, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross deliver an even stronger best film of the year than Challengers, especially when it comes to emotional resonance. I was teary-eyed by the end, and the book never even took me there. The racist edges of Burroughs' characters are sanded off here but this is still about privileged American immigrants drifting about in '50s Mexico and some slurs are still casually thrown out of their mouths and a lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from the book. Jason Schwartzman as Joe in heavy makeup and fat suit as the chubby comedic relief almost steals the scenes he's in. Daniel Craig delivers an amazing Oscar-worthy performance but Drew Starkey as Eugene Allerton is no slouch either, and their aching body language speaks more than any of the words which are often mumbled anyway, particularly a recurring thing of their cuddles and the legs over each other, or how Craig's Lee touches the back and ribs. The dreams have some unforgettable imagery that bolsters the haunting atmosphere, along with the astral projections of his hands reaching out as externalisations of Lee's desires. There is a memorable naked dance in Ecuador when they're on ayahuasca (yage) that reaches Cronenbergian levels as their bodies meld into each other. The centipede signifies the danger of this obsessive romance that has Lee going into teen-like giddy silliness and awkwardness as he pursues a young man and requesting for him to be nice to him twice a week. The painstakingly detailed props and mise en scene add a lot to the character of the sets and locations, and there are some fantastic uses of miniatures (Lee's eye looks into a hotel and sees himself) and painted backdrops that speaks to the surrealist tendencies, along with the unforgettable practical effects when they're high and vomiting scrotums containing organs. There is so much love and pain instilled into this film that it is easily one of Guadagnino's best and also possibly my favourite film of 2024.