Modern Flâneuse

First Impressions and Discovery of Queer

When I first saw Queer by Luca Guadagnino at the Venice Film Festival, I was perplexed. Though unfamiliar with the premise, the central theme was clear: the unrequited love of a man unafraid to bare his affection, take risks, or even attempt to control the object of his desire, all while his descent into self-destruction was starkly apparent. The notion of forging a deeper connection through the mystical properties of the yagé root and telepathy felt particularly surreal. It wasn’t until I read William S. Burroughs‘ short novel, the film’s source material, and delved into the writer’s life and the ethos of the Beat Generation, that it all started to make sense.

“Mexico city is sinister and gloomy and chaotic with the special chaos of a dream,” William Burroughs wrote to Jack Kerouac in May 1951. These words reflect the surreal and unsettling undertones within the seemingly realistic setting of the city, where his book Queer takes place. Just a few months later, in September, he would accidentally kill his wife during a ‘William Tell’ stunt gone wrong. Shortly afterward, while awaiting trial, he met and had a brief affair with Lewis Marker, who would become the inspiration for Gene Allerton in his semi-autobiographical work. “I wrote Queer for Marker,” he bluntly stated in October 1952.

The Complex Relationship of Lee and Allerton

The story begins in Mexico City, where our protagonist, William Lee, is living as an expatriate, forced from his home due to legal troubles involving drug possession. He feels a vague sense of longing, something intangible, until he meets Gene Allerton. It’s unclear to me whether what he feels is love or more of an infatuation, sparked by Allerton’s youth and apparent indifference, which borders on rejection. This is certainly not the deep, romantic kind of love found in Love in the Time of Cholera. Instead, Lee is driven by a restless desire for Allerton—an unfulfilled lust that consumes him and ultimately leads to his undoing.

The movie focuses on the romantic aspect of the story, and in the first half, we see Lee trying to win Allerton’s affection, not just seeking a fleeting sexual encounter. He uses his wit, but his persistence becomes problematic to the point of embarrassment. He even attempts to control Allerton through money. The theme of control, or the lack thereof, recurs throughout the book too. Lee frequently fantasizes about sexual control. One of his most disturbing fantasies involves a slave trader dealing in boys. He talks about them as if they were used cars, completely dehumanizing them. Naturally, such disturbing elements, along with Lee’s racist and even homophobic attitudes, are absent from the movie. Instead, the film portrays Lee as a man deeply in love, evoking sympathy from the audience.

The Search for Yagé and Metaphysical Explorations

The movie flows well up until the point where they travel to South America in search of the elusive yagé root. In the film, this is portrayed as yet another attempt by Lee to get closer to Allerton. However, in reality, the whole theme of telepathy and mind control, to me, seems more connected to the author’s fantasies about control, power, and his obsession with the occult. A more practical factor might be Lee’s search for a new high. After all, Burroughs as well as Lee were heroin addicts. A new hallucinogenic drug, especially one tied to Native American rituals, may have seemed enticing. It may have represented a step toward “becoming part of a whole”. Not just taking a physical journey to find this root, but a metaphysical one. Lee seeks unity or a deeper understanding of something greater. Lastly, this can also, to some extent, reflect the Zeitgeist of the time. Cold War-era propaganda focused on mind control, espionage, and counter-espionage tactics.

Adaptation Choices: Dr. Cotter and The Hallucinatory Trip

The director attempted to stay true to the spirit of the author’s books, capturing his “comic-grotesque” style and eccentric characters. However, for some reason, he transformed Dr. Cotter from the book into a middle-aged woman living in the jungle. She frankly reminded me of the old hag from Robin Hood, and not even the version from the Kevin Costner film, but from Robin Hood: Men in Tights. There’s a bizarre “bad trip” scene at this point, when the old woman agrees to provide the yagé root. Both Lee and Allerton consume it, leading to hallucinations of merging and other surreal visions. This whole incident, however, doesn’t exist in the book, where they never actually find the root. After the bad trip, instead of growing closer as Lee had hoped, they drift further apart. In the end, the film closes with an older Lee returning to the places where he shared moments with Allerton, still deeply in love, reminiscing about their brief closeness.

Performances: Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey

I have to admit that Daniel Craig delivered an outstanding and memorable performance throughout the film. He captured the complexities of Lee’s character, and his portrayal was deeply moving, making me empathize with Lee’s internal struggles and emotional turmoil. Craig’s performance brought a sense of vulnerability to the role, allowing the audience to relate to Lee’s predicament on a deeper level. In contrast, while Drew Starkey wasn’t bad, his performance didn’t leave a lasting impression. He was far overshadowed by Craig’s strong presence on screen. The film took a somewhat bizarre turn, especially in the second half with the yagé root hallucination scenes. As far as adaptations go, it didn’t stay very true to the source material, as it avoided delving into the darker aspects of Lee’s character. Given the current climate of political correctness, I doubt a more faithful portrayal would have been possible.

You can read more of my film reviews of premieres from the 81st Venice Film Festival, including Maria, Babygirl, The Room Next Door, and Joker: Folie à Deux.