Queer

Considering the hype and the [inflated] [Oscar] expectations...the main event turned out to be rather anticlimactic!

Certainly, Queer will divide its audience...and, that division will not be equally split. Those expecting a more senior Jamesy-Bondy, Benoi-tish-Blan-cis-h incarnation of Daniel Craig will be sorely disappointed. These are those that know nothing about William S. Burroughs at all.

Then there are the Beatniks with their contemporary off-spring - the Beatwinks - au fait with Kerouac, Ginsberg and, of course Mr Burroughs himself. They will all recognise the references, strewn throughout the film...nodding knowingly...perhaps, even smugly...because, this film goes way beyond the borders of the original novella. Can this be justified? It's debatable...the novella is an unfinished work, Justin Kuritzkes finished it, cinematically speaking. Others will argue that tampering with the original author's manuscript is sacrilege...well, the original manuscript remains intact, un-appended. It's just 'cinematic licence'...not a new concept!

Now that's all cleared up...what of the film? Mr Craig has bared more than his soul in gays roles before - most notably and noticeably in Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon - so, let's just say, he is not a stranger in a strange land! And...a job well done...that is up to the point he turned into an out-of-condition Indiana Jones...this whole subplot was a major misstep for the whole production - although, it did feature a beautifully filmed drug-infused sex scene which, considering it's a story about an addict, could have been slotted in anywhere...thereby trimming those unnecessary minutes off the rather lengthy runtime.

Pace is not one of Luca Guadagnino's strengths, this Queer prefers to linger and loiter than stride and slide. And...this Queer is a linen-suited, short-back-and-sided gent - albehe a little rough around the edges - quite the contrast to the reclaimed Queers of today! These Queers will be mightily unimpressed with those Queers...and, vice versa. Respect those who did the groundwork.

As said, despite the big draw that Mr Craig commands, Queer is not for everyone. Apart from the Indiana bit, it's a well-crafted production with fleeting moments of breath-taking [imagined] tenderness. Perhaps...a bit more drama would have helped it reach its destination faster...but, if you prefer to linger, taking in all the detail that this film has to offer, you will gasp - especially - at the sheer beauty and sober sadness of the very last shot.

Trailer...