23/26
In 1950s Mexico City, an American immigrant in his forties lives a lonely life in a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student inspires the man to finally make a meaningful connection with someone. Daniel Craig eventually convinced Luca Guadagnino to play Drew Starkey after watching Guadagnino’s audition tapes and telling him “It’s with a friend” after watching Starkey… William Lee: Sit on your ass! Or what’s left of him after four years in the Navy.. Starring 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 of it in 2024. Queer Screening at the London Film Festival: This was probably to be expected, as William S Burroughs provided the source material for both films. 1950s Mexico, William Lee, an American writer on the wrong side of the… forty? fifty? He spends his days getting drunk, shooting and having casual sex with other men. One day, a muscular, intelligent young man named Eugene walks into a bar and Lee is impressed. But what does Eugene himself want? There’s also the telepathic drug to think about… I’m not sure what director Luca Guadagnino is going for stylistically with this film. The scenes are almost entirely decorated in block colours – dull reds and olive greens, for example – and have that vaguely unrealistic, clean Technicolor look that makes you think it’s an homage to the films of the era in which the film is set. But if that’s the case, why the 50s rock and techno soundtrack? Daniel Craig (is it my imagination or is he starting to sound like Sid James?) is stuck in the lead role because he has to keep spouting nonsense. Obviously not in his accent. Drew Starkey gives a more subtle performance as the manipulative Eugene and he certainly looks prepared. Lesley Manville is unrecognizable as a doctor living in the jungles of South America – great job by the makeup team! This is the kind of movie that seems to me to be more about art style than narrative substance. It was good to see once, but I won’t watch it again.