Queer Film Reviews - Important LGBTQ Works This Century

Queer films have been an important part of cinema for many years now. Whilst giving important representation but also exploring novel, intricate dynamics not previously seen in film, there have been some standouts throughout the years. Three of these are discussed below.  

Queer (2024) 

Luca Guadagnino has previously outlined from his work a self-described trilogy of 'desire' films, namely I am Love, A Bigger Splash, then capping the trilogy with a large box office return with Call Me by Your Name.

What Is Queer (2024) About?

The trilogy of stories, primarily told through sighs and glances, all have themes of obsession and rejection, and an attractive if often impressionist visual to anaesthetise the viewer into Luca's dreamy story telling. But only the final film of that trilogy concerns itself with a queer story, and in the broadest sense, Queer is the same story as Call Me by Your Name; an infatuation followed by a rejection: only the point of view is reversed. 

Cast and Performances in Queer

Instead of an idealistic youth becoming heartbroken after a journey of personal discovery with a summer fling in a romantic landscape, we have the lonely and dissatisfied older William Lee (Daniel Craig) who becomes heartbroken after the younger Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) rejects him after a summer fling in a seedy and sultry locale. This change of perspective creates a much more bitter story compared to its bittersweet equivalent.

Where the love in Call Me by Your Name is genuinely romantic, Queer's is the result of a desperation for a connection on the part of William, who can only persuade Eugene to travel with him on the condition that William pays for everything, and that sex is only an occasional dutiful act. Unable to connect deeper and Eugene maintaining a defensive wall, William takes himself and Eugene to the jungle shack of Dr. Cutter (Lesley Manville) who can provide a drug rumoured to give its consumer telekinesis, if only momentarily. They take it, and in their moment of brain-to-brain connection, Eugene rejects William for the final time.

Is Queer (2024) Worth Watching?

This could have made an intriguing film, about the irony that love can be so easy to give and yet so hard to receive. except the film is wearisome, arid, and only picks some strength in its final quarter. While powerful enough to keep you in the story, the anachronistic choices of music regularly disrupt the illusion. Its vagueness is salvaged from becoming outright dull by two factors:the performances and the cinematography.Both are excellent.

Daniel Craig is a terrific character actor, unfairly lumbered as many former Bonds are with one role that eclipsed their talents. He is highly capable of a role such as William Lee, and many will forget that he originated the role of Joe Pitt in the London premiere of Tony Kushner's Angels in America: Daniel is no stranger to queer roles and plays them with great sincerity as all actors must with any role. Drew Starkey makes an excellent companion to Daniel, and their chemistry together is congruous yet strained, as it should be. Though they are both upstaged by Lesley Manville, while entering late in the story, she portrays the most arresting character: volatile, alien, and yet sympathetic and cut from the same cloth as William.

Overall, the film has enough contained within it to sustain a viewer, though its pacing and tone will be slow and chary for some.

Isn't She Great? (2000) 

Here is a confused picture. Many readers will know Valley of the Dolls, a film readily embraced by the LGBTQ community, adapted from one of greatest selling novels of all time. So, a biopic about its writer, Jacqueline Susann, would seem a solid idea, right?

Unfortunately, the film suffers in two regards: its tone and its casting. The film careens between screwball comedy and biography and it's only in these biographic moments that we feel anything. But they are too brief, giving is only a bullet point education on Susano's life, which can only be an error, considering the range of people she was to meet and write about. As for the comedy, there are some memorable lines, though it's not a work of comedic brilliance but will get a few laughs from most.

Cast and Performances in Isn't She Great?

Then there's the casting, where only the minor roles seemed to 'get it' such as David Hyde Pierce as an erudite editor and Stockard Channing as Jacqueline's show-biz friend. Nathan Lane shares the leading roles as Jacqueline's husband. Nathan is an otherwise credible actor when it comes to serious roles but has only ever been one-note in his comedic roles and we endure that here, Bette Midler as Jacqueline has a lot more brass in her performance and is likeable for that, though she was still nominated for a worst actress Razzie for this role (Which seems unjust when we recall that Madonna won that year for 'The Next Best Thing.') Bette's performance is by no means awful: she is endearing, loud, funny, only that the material was lousy, not her.

This isn't a dull or even bad movie: it still makes for a nice piece of entertainment, just not one you'd return to readily. 

Sebastian (2024) 

What Is Sebastian About?

Mikko Mäkelä's movie presents a riveting duality, Max (Ruaridh Mollica) is a young and aspiring writer, who leads a double life as a sex worker, researching for his debut novel. Max is the writer. Sebastian is his escort name. From this ambivalence arises the tension in Max's life, as he does not confess to anyone his strategy, and is caught up in meeting the needs of his clients, his publishers, his work, his income, his writing, and ultimately himself.

It is a slight story, gradually unfolding and setting up little plot points which may seem insignificant at first but that delicately combine into a spider's tapestry, giving a rich and compelling film. Most brilliant of all is Jonathan Hyde as Nicholas an older and recently bereaved gentlemen, who would much prefer the services of Sebastian for his company than for sex. 

It's a bittersweet relationship that Nicholas and Sebastian have, as they both learn something about themselves from their meeting, and the writing for these characters unmasks a potent, generational friendship which we are bereft of in queer films. But don't be lead on, this film is about Max. The film reflects the difficulties of finding an artistic voice in a depersonalised society, shown in its grey, concrete visual and Max's stuttering lines; we yearn for Max to find his confidence and fret when we see him blunder.

Is Sebastian (2024) Worth Watching?

Set in London, the locale makes for charming viewing and is excellent work for a young writer and director like Micka. Sebastian as a gay film works wonderfully but also as a piece of art: the writing, performances, and cinematography come together so well it extends far past just being a film trying to give some queer representation.  

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