“Queer” follows Lee played by Daniel Craig who is an American expatriate looking for a romantic partner. Lee attempts to find his lifelong partner in Mexico City, but only finds one-night stands and unwilling lovers. Early on, Lee meets a man played by musician Omar Apollo, before falling head-over-heels for Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Allerton has sharp facial features and a muscular build. Lee becomes enamored by Allerton after seeing him outside of a bar. From here, Lee continuously pursues Allerton, without the knowledge of his true sexuality. 

Allerton and Lee develop a sensual bond with each other. Lee’s inner thoughts are showcased through a technique of the editors blending a transparent overlay of Lee acting out his intentions, almost like a ghost. For example, one scene in particular that Craig and Starkey share together shows Lee imagining himself sharing a kiss with Allerton in a movie theater. Lee lives in a time where homosexuality is not accepted, so kissing a man in a theater would be shunned. This is why Lee’s desires are shown through the transparent overlay, rather than just simply kissing Allterton in the theater.

“Queer” is a film that takes a classic approach to making a motion picture. This film was shot on a soundstage, uses painted backdrops, and miniatures, all of which are techniques used in the past in major films like “Star Wars”, before CGI ruled Hollywood. The classic filmmaking approach in “Queer” gives the film a surreal quality. The backdrops of vibrant orange skies feel like an aesthetic dreamscape in Mexico City. The miniatures create a psychedelic landscape of Lee’s mind. Lee’s visions get wilder as his visions go from romantic to horrific.

“Queer” has a soundtrack featuring a popular Nirvana song that fans know and love in “Come As You Are.” A stripped version of “17 Days” plays hauntingly while the camera movement matches the slow tones of Prince’s “Piano & a Microphone 1983” album. The score of Queer feels foreign at first from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ previous works. The score has a quieter tone that progressively gets more aggressive akin to their usual electronic music style.

“Queer” takes a sharp left turn, and it may come as a surprise. The third act of “Queer” follows Lee and Eugene going to a jungle to find a powerful drug. The drug they are searching for is believed to grant its users telepathic abilities. At this point, the film starts becoming a pool for visual noise. Act three of “Queer” is painting the idea that Lee is the snake and Eugene is the centipede. In the jungle, there is some setup to Lee and Eugene going to part ways. When they eventually split, Lee and Eugene deal with it differently. Lee and Eugene are about to fall into their respective symbolic categories. Lee falls into this cycle of misery as the snake that bites its own tail. Eugene ends up moving ahead instead of getting stuck making the same mistakes. Lee tried to find a drug that he imagined could fix his problems, yet in the end, he ends up back in his cycle of isolation after an unsuccessful trip where he finds out that Eugene is going to leave him. 

In one word, “Queer” is about loneliness. There are things that play into loneliness like substance abuse and rejection. We explore Lee's mind as he struggles through romance and drug use until the end of the film. This is broken into four parts that put Lee at the forefront while he longs to become closer to Eugene. The visual symbolism was well crafted and had a surreal feel to it. The inner thoughts of one’s mind can feel more or less magical. That is what “Queer” is, it is magical. The first half of “Queer” really works as a complex love story, while the second half gets into Twilight Zone-esque territory that may not work for audiences. The film will leave you feeling empty with a slight glimmer of hope by showing vibrant colors before the credits roll.