Queer

A mesmerizing portrait of desire, Queer marks director Luca Guadagnino’s second great film of 2024 and, with Challengers, cumulatively ranks up with notable double dips by Stevens Spielberg and Soderbergh.

Somehow even hornier than his tennis love triangle picture, the drama inspires the boldest work yet from Daniel Craig, who mines new emotional depths as William S. Burroughs surrogate Lee.

Like a benevolent shark still capable of attacking, he traverses artificially colorful Mexican streets — which provide a haven for expat gay men and drug addicts — desperately in search of love but willing to settle for lust.

Accompanying these hazy walks and hangouts with fellow barfly Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) is yet another terrific score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. But it's Guadagnino's fantastic use of anachronistic music that provides even higher highs. In particular, Lee walking in slow-motion to Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” strikes an appealing early tone of rebellious men connected across generations, positing him as a person worth following.

Craig’s lovable yet worrisome antics are complemented by the far more reserved but no less compelling turn by human string bean Drew Starkey as the enigmatic Eugene Allerton. Attracted to the younger man yet unconvinced of his sexuality, Lee silently expresses his hopes for the budding relationship via ghost visions of the brave things he’d like to do with Eugene — movie magic that silently conveys stronger emotions than mere words could offer.

As their bond develops and they trek to South America in search of ayahuasca, stranger days await in the jungle courtesy of an unhinged performance by a nearly unrecognizable Lesley Manville, disappearing into the part of medicinal expert Dr. Cotter. The intersection of these rainforest invaders’ missions yields wondrous drug imagery without losing track of the men’s complicated ties, producing an enthralling environment where anything goes yet troubles still persist.

A less skilled filmmaker might have overplayed any one of these delicate hands, but with Guadagnino behind the camera, viewers can rest assured that a mature yet still edgy experience awaits.

Grade: A-minus. Rated R. Now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: A24)