Queer: On the red carpet with Drew Starkey at London Film Festival 2024

Luca Guadagnino once again astounds with his latest feature based on William S Burroughs’s short novel Queer, following American expat Lee who flees to Mexico after a drug bust gone wrong. Under the strong and dusty heat, and the haze of Mexican nightlife, he locks eyes with Eugene Allerton and finds himself infatuated by the boy. The film follows the magnetic pull between these two characters, a complex look into love, desire and the desperation for human connection beyond surface-level conversation. Unlike his most recent film Challengers, which was direct in its storytelling and overt in its symbolism, Queer is more artistic and adventurous and throws the audience in for a psychedelic final act.

Still, despite its glaring difference from his early tennis release of the year, it’s important to note that most of the team behind Challengers also worked on Queer: with a screenplay from Justin Kuritzkes, Jonathan Anderson on costume design, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross behind the music for the film. The feature also boasts the extraordinary talents of Daniel Craig as Lee and Outer Banks and The Other Zoey star Drew Starkey, with supporting roles from Jason Schwartzman and Lesley Manville.

The Upcoming caught up with Starkey on the red carpet at the special presentation premiere of Queer at the London Film Festival, talking about his experience working with giants like Guadagnino and Craig, the song used in that pivotal moment of Lee and Allerton’s meeting and the complex message to be taken from the film.

Mae Trumata

Queer is released in UK cinemas on 13^th December 2024.

Read more reviews from our London Film Festival coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the London Film Festival website here.

Watch a clip from Queer here: