Daniel Craig stuns critics with sexually explicit new film Queer
The actor stepped out for the film's world premiere at the Venice Film Festival
Daniel Craig's new film Queer has received sensational reviews following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday, 5 September.
The romantic drama, directed by Luca Guadagnino, centres on Craig's William Lee —a pseudonym of author William S Burroughs, whose autobiographical novel the film adapts. Lee is an expat who leads a solitary life in 1950s Mexico City, where he meets young student Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) and they begin an affair together.
Queer was the topic on everyone's lips as a result of its sexually explicit nature, and received an 11-minute standing ovation at the festival. It is just another of a long line of projects that Craig has revelled in after bidding farewell to James Bond, and much like Knives Out and Logan Lucky it gives the actor the opportunity to be free and uninhibited onscreen.
Craig was one of the stars to grace the red carpet at Venice, attending the event alongside his wife Rachel Weisz as well as his co-star Starkey and director Guadagnino, and critics were equally as dazzled by the film which was celebrated in first reviews.
The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney called Queer a "mesmerising" take on Burroughs novel, heaping praise on Guadagnino and Craig's work both in front and behind the screen.
"It’s hard to think of a more ideal director than Guadagnino to explore queerness, sensuality and the shifting terrain of romantic intoxication, and he’s found the perfect traveling companion in Daniel Craig," the critic writes.
"In a transfixing performance that balances colourful affectation with raw hunger, the actor makes Lee a magnetic raconteur whose shield of worldly composure falls away as Eugene eludes his grasp, leaving him a virtual ghost by the end of the film."
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Rooney added that Craig is "highly entertaining" in the role, but makes that he still delivers "a ballsy performance covering a broad psychological and emotional spectrum."
The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw described the film as "needy, horny, [and] moody" and celebrated Craig for always commanding the screen like he does in Queer where he is "strangely magnificent".
Bradshaw wrote: "It is a really funny, open, generous performance – perhaps the only disadvantage is that he upstages Starkey, just a little, and his mesmeric screen presence will draw our attention back to Lee, away from Gene and his ambiguous intentions and emotions. Craig is so dominant that sometimes it seems that Gene is almost not worthy of him."
For Variety's Owen Gleiberman, Craig's performance is "bold and funny and alive" because he makes Burrough's alter-ego "a nasty, witty literary dog laced with vulnerability." Similarly, The Telegraph's Robbie Collin was moved by Craig's portrayal of Lee who he described as "sensational" on screen because it is "swimming in psychological complexity".
Collin also reflected on the film's explicit nature, saying: "It’s also notably explicit, with three sexual encounters that are about as graphic as modern male movie stardom allows."
He went on: "Queer doesn’t scrimp on provocation and pleasure, but it’s also a beautiful film about male loneliness, and the way a solitary life can so easily shade into a life sentence."
Deadline's Damon Wise took the time to commend Guadagnino's adaptation of Burrough's work, saying that Queer is a "highly intelligent film" thanks to the director and Craig's work.
Reflecting on the film's much-talked about sex scenes, the critic spoke of how "sex is not enough" for Craig's character: "Lee wants to possess Allerton’s body, or even consume it, which is why the sex scenes in Queer are so violent, so urgent. And yet, every time it happens, Guadagnino takes the camera away from the action; the sad fact is that the ferocity of Lee’s lovemaking is pushing Allerton farther and farther away."
It was only Evening Standard's Jo-Ann Titchmarsh who seemed to see the film in a less favourable light, writing that "despite Craig’s superb performance and the support of his superlative co-stars, the film just doesn’t engage the audience. "
The critic explained that the film might not have translated as well because of its source material, adding that "there are some great moments, four excellent performances and some great lines, but together they are not enough to create a coherent or entertaining film".
Queer will be released in UK cinemas soon.
