Queer: Style Over Substance

Queer is an ambitious, uneven, and sometimes maddeningly indulgent film. There are moments where it flirts with genuine brilliance, especially in the early chapter, which sets up an emotionally charged dynamic and gives Daniel Craig the room to deliver one of his most nuanced, magnetic performances to date. His charisma absolutely anchors the film’s first act, pulling you in and building real promise for what’s to come.

Unfortunately, that promise largely fizzles out as the film progresses. Structured into three distinct chapters, Queer starts strong but quickly loses its footing. While the first chapter is genuinely compelling, the second and third stumble badly with erratic pacing, thin character development, and a plot that spirals into incoherence. It often feels like the film is trying to impress with mood and atmosphere rather than focusing on telling a cohesive, emotionally grounded story.

The stylistic choices—from the dreamy lighting to the costume design to the deliberately fragmented cinematography—scream "art house," but the substance doesn't always back them up. It's a film that looks like it has a lot to say, but when you dig beneath the surface, the messaging becomes muddled and frustratingly opaque. Themes of queer identity, longing, obsession, and alienation are present, but they're handled with such inconsistency that their emotional impact is dulled.

Rather than allowing those themes to breathe naturally through its characters and story, Queer gets bogged down by its own indulgence. It tries to be too many things at once—a tender character study, a surreal mood piece, a subversive romance—and ends up being none of them particularly well. There's a palpable tension between wanting to tell a deeply personal story and wanting to impress with visual and stylistic flourishes, and that tension never quite resolves.

What could’ve been a provocative and tender exploration of love, loneliness, and obsession instead ends as a hollow experience: aesthetically pleasing but emotionally disconnected. It's not without merit—Craig’s performance alone makes it worth watching for those curious, but it ultimately feels like a missed opportunity.

In the end, Queer is a film that demands patience and an appreciation for mood over narrative, but even for art-house fans, it might test your tolerance for style over substance.