Coming off of “Challengers,” which was released earlier this spring, Luca Guadagnino is back for his second film of 2024 with “Queer.” The filmmaker’s latest stars Daniel Craig as William Lee, a fictionalized stand-in for author William S. Burroughs, whose slender novel the movie is based on. (The author wrote the book in the early 1950s while awaiting trial in Mexico for the murder of his wife, Joan Vollmer. It wasn’t published until 1985.)
The movie premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and later played the New York Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival. A24 acquired the domestic distribution rights to the movie, with Mubi releasing the movie internationally.
But how can you watch Guadagnino’s latest? Read on to find out.
When does “Queer” come out?
A24 is giving “Queer” a limited release, in New York and Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
When is “Queer” hitting theaters everywhere else?
“Queer” will expand with a nationwide release on Friday, Dec. 13.
Is “Queer” streaming or in theaters?
A24 is releasing “Queer” exclusively in theaters. When it does hit streaming, it will have a premium digital window before debuting on HBO and Max, per a licensing agreement with A24.
If you’re looking to buy tickets to “Queer,” we have some helpful links for you:
• AMC
• Regal
• Fandango
• Cinemark
• Cineplex
Who is in the “Queer” cast?
Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Henry Zaga, Omar Apollo and filmmaker David Lowery also appear in “Queer.”
Who did the music for “Queer?”
The score for “Queer” is once again composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This is the third collaboration between the composers (and Nine Inch Nails principals) and Guadagnino after 2022’s haunting horror romance “Bones and All” and, of course, “Challengers.”
What is “Queer” about?
Craig plays Lee, an American expat lounging around post-war Mexico City, shooting up heroin and drinking heavily. It’s in Mexico City that he becomes infatuated with a young, aloof American named Allerton (Starkey), convinced that they should be together.
Lee also becomes obsessed with reports of a magical plant, said to grow deep in the jungle, that grants the user the power of telepathy. (He thinks this will give him a greater connection to his Allerton.) Together, Lee and Allerton embark on a dangerous quest. The film combines the events of the novel with new material and biographic elements from Burroughs’ life.
If you’re looking for additional viewing, may we suggest 1983’s “Burroughs: The Movie,” which saw the author embark on a new phase of his career, doing readings in grungy punk rock clubs. It’s super fascinating. Another Burroughs must-watch is David Cronenberg’s 1991 adaptation of his 1959 novel. Cronenberg’s movie stars Peter Weller, Ian Holm, Judy Davis and Roy Scheider and plays around with similar Burroughs-ian imagery. Hello centipedes!
