007 no more: Daniel Craig is utterly transformed in Queer (Picture: A24 via AP)
James Bond has been left behind in the dust by Daniel Craig from the opening moment of Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, which is one of the most hotly anticipated premieres at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
‘You’re not queer,’ he insists to his young and be-freckled companion sitting opposite him in a Mexico City bar in the 1950s – and in the following instances several things become clear.
Firstly, long gone is the laconic and confident Bond, replaced instead by a jittery, awkward and somewhat desperate soul.
Craig’s character William Lee’s neuroses and addictions are plain to see from the off – he knocks back drink after drink, in a constant state of sweaty day-drunk, as he searches for love and affection alongside his next line of cocaine or dose of dope.
The cards are stacked against him as a gay man in that time period, as well as an American expat who had to flee his home country after a drug bust. But Lee has at least found a community of fellow homosexuals who live life in the open (including a vibrant if bitter Jason Schwartzman) – even if happiness eludes them.
However, his attention is permanently distracted when young student Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) arrives, stirring a strong infatuation within him as Lee anxiously attempts to woo him.
Craig stars as a lovesick expat opposite Drew Starkey as he younger object of affection (Picture: A24 via AP)
We all know Craig is an actor more than capable of turning in performances removed from 007, but there’s something about the physicality of his Lee that is especially impressive – and I don’t just mean the much whispered-about sex scenes.
The way he can’t help himself but sweep into a cringe-inducing bow, doffing his hat, when he first spies Allerton’s gaze speaks volumes about his character. And then in the same way, his hallucinogenic-fuelled dance routine with his lover is totally different, but equally mesmerising.
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His and Starkey’s sex scenes are incredibly intimate in their choreography, covering the fumbles and shy foreplay of getting to know someone before getting down to business. That he’s not sure if Allerton returns his ardour ends up being heartbreaking.
Craig is fully committed to baring himself in this role – and the Oscar talk is well deserved, as well as awards attention being almost inevitable, given how Hollywood can’t resist a bold transformation.
Director Luca Guadagnino is back after his success with Challengers – and brings something very different (Picture: Reuters)
However, it can be argued that Craig is doing a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to Queer because, without him, the murkiness of its storyline – which becomes harder to penetrate – doesn’t necessarily leave behind a film from Guadagnino that stirs as much excitement as expected.
Would we care as much if Craig wasn’t in the leading role?
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Source:: Metro
