49/23
In Mexico City in the 1950s, an American immigrant in his forties lives a lonely life in a small American community. But the arrival of a young student prompts the man to finally make a meaningful connection with someone. Daniel Craig eventually convinced Luca Guadagnino to play Drew Starkey after watching audition tapes with Guadagnino and telling him ‘That' s boyfriend" after seeing Starkey… William Lee: Sit on your ass! Or what’s left of it after four years in the Navy.. Featured on The Graham Norton Show: Daniel Craig / Nicola Coughlan / Jesse Eisenberg / Kieran Culkin / Flo (2024). I’ve never seen ‘Southern Naked’. (1991), but I often think about it in 2024. Queer Screening at the London Film Festival: This was probably to be expected since William S Burroughs provided the source material for both films.1950 Mexico, William Lee, American writer on the wrong side of…forties? Fifty? He spends his days getting drunk, shooting and having casual sex with other men. One day, a muscular, intelligent young man, Eugene, walks into a bar and Lee is smitten. But what does Eugene himself want? Also, there’s a telepathic drug to think about… I’m not sure what director Luca Guadagnino is trying to achieve stylistically with this film. The sets are decorated almost entirely in block colors — dull reds and olive greens, for example — and have that vaguely unrealistic, clean Technicolor look that made you think it was an homage to the films of the era in which the film is set. But if that’s the case, why the decidedly 1950s rock and techno soundtrack? Daniel Craig (is it my imagination or is he starting to look like Sid James?) is stuck in the lead role because he has to constantly spout nonsense. clearly not in his accent. Drew Starkey manages to deliver a more subtle performance as the manipulative Eugene and certainly looks ready. Lesley Manville is unrecognizable as a doctor living in the South American jungle – great job with the makeup team! This is the kind of movie that feels more about the artistic style than the narrative material to me. It was good to see once, but I won’t be watching again.