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QUEER

Starring: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, and Henry Zaga
Director: Luca Guadagnino

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ADRIANO

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Queer is easily director Luca Guadagnino's most out-there film to date, which comes with some downfalls. The movie can be very slight for a lot of people, and some of the more experimental stuff will not be everyone's cup of tea; however, even though the film was close to losing me a couple of times, it never did. I was into Guadagnino's psychedelic and loose portrayal of desire and the dream-like atmosphere throughout, as well as Daniel Craig's outstanding lead performance. This is certainly not the director's best, but Queer is still another win for the filmmaker.

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NICK

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Luca Guadagnino's latest film, Queer, is a trip in every sense of the word. A film that had me hooked and lost me completely on multiple occasions, this is definitely not what I expected. Gone are the awards hopes for Daniel Craig – he's EXCELLENT here, it's just not that kind of film – since Guadagnino's decision to abandon the more traditional love story he sets up does more harm than good. As the story goes on, what was once cohesive becomes confusing and unfocused. Maybe the film is better on rewatch, knowing the story path, but that should never be part of the watch requirements.

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QUENTIN

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Full disclosure: I have been coming to the realization that I’m just not a fan of director Luca Guadagnino. With Queer, that notion is solidified because I have almost nothing positive to say about the film. There are some terrific needle drops, and I’ll give Daniel Craig credit for a daring performance (I didn’t say a “great” performance. I truly don’t get the hype.). Otherwise, this is a 135-minute slog with nothing to say despite insisting on saying it in increasingly hallucinatory ways. With its lack of character development, unfocused and incoherent story, sleep-inducing pacing, and fake-looking production design, Queer is pretentious and self-indulgent trash.

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PAIGE

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Queer is certainly director Luca Guadagnino’s most ambitious film to date. The first half of the film has a stunning, postcard-like appeal to it as it tells a nuanced story about loneliness and longing for love. However, as the second half progresses, the narrative starts to lose grip on how it wants to convey its themes. It evolves into a chic, dream-state atmosphere with no emotional anchor. The score and soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is intoxicating throughout, and Daniel Craig delivers a career-best performance, but it seems Guadagnino prioritized style over substance in this hopeless romantic tale.

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This film was reviewed by Nick, Adriano, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and 2024 Zurich Film Festival respectively.

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