Queer at Luna

Daniel Craig (as William Lee) in Queer at Luna
Photo Credit: Madman Entertainment

On a hot summer’s day, I wandered down Oxford St to Luna Leederville to watch the movie Queer, noticing the usual hustle and bustle of weekend activity along the cafe strip.

The trailer had caught my eye – with the movie being set in 1950s Mexico City, and by Director Luca Guadagnino of “Call me by Your Name” which I had enjoyed watching.

The movie opens with Sinead O’Connor singing “All Apologies” - “What else should I say? Everyone is gay … “.  The main character William Lee (Daniel Craig), an American ex-pat gay man in his late forties, is frequenting the bars and nightlife of Mexico hoping to get lucky and hook up, whilst at the same time also looking for love and a deeper more meaningful connection.

He manages to snare the young and handsome bi-curious Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) to accompany him on his travels. And so their adventures begin as they go off into the wild jungles of the Amazon in search of the illusive ayahuasca, a plant concoction known for its telepathic properties.

At just over 2 hours long, Queer is an interesting and unique film that is atmospheric in capturing post war Mexico and its gay bars, whilst at the same time weaving a stunning cinematic experience in capturing the two main characters foray into psychedelic and hallucinatory experiences and altered states of reality.

It is an ambitious adaptation of the novel by William S. Burroughs and has got the bells, whistles and all. 

I left the movie feeling a bit trippy myself despite not having any drugs of any sort, and attributing it probably to just the ongoing heat wave that we have been experiencing in Perth.

An interesting escape from the heat and reality, a tantalisingly different tale of love, desire and addiction - Queer opens on Thursday 6 February at Luna Leederville with a special event screening at the Luna Outdoor Cinema in Leederville on Monday 10 February.

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