Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Queer’ Is Now In Theatres Across Canada

Queer, the Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey-starring adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel, arrived in select theatres across Canada on December 13…

Luca Guadagnino’s much-buzzed adaptation of the emotive William S. Burroughs novel Queer already has movie buffs buzzing. Queer arrived in select theatres across Canada, including theatres in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan, on Friday, December 13.

Starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, the movie follows the story of Lee (Craig), a forty-something American expat and vagabond who falls in love with a recently-discharged Navy serviceman named Allerton (Starkey).

Burroughs’ short novel was written between 1951 and 1953, and finally published in 1985.

“In adapting his second novel, published almost forty years after he wrote it, we have tried to respond to this humble appeal of the great iconoclast of the beat generation,” says Guadagnino. “Lee loves Allerton, Allerton loves Lee: they will be able to meet despite all the missteps and fears that act on both of them in their picaresque journey in South America projected by Burroughs’ mind?”

The movie had its World Premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where it was in competition for the Golden Lion, and then had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

“Queer is a strange fever dream of exploration into what it was like to be a gay man living in another country after World War II. Daniel Craig’s version of Lee is initially comedic until he simply becomes sad to watch, always longing for connection and his next fix. Starkey is marvelous in a quasi-ingenue role, propelling their intimate scenes to almost pornographic territory,” IN‘s Matthew Creith wrote after the film’s screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September (You can read IN‘s full review of the film right here).

Watch the trailer for Guadagnino’s Queer below:

Queer also stars Academy-Award nominee Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Henrique Zaga, Omar Apollo, Andra Ursuta, Andres Duprat, Ariel Shulman, Drew Droege, Michael Borremans, David Lowery, Lisandro Alonso and Colin Bates. The film also features music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Queer arrived in select theatres across Canada, including theatres in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan, on Friday, December 13. Find a theatre near you and book tickets right here.

After Queer wraps its Canadian theatrical run, movie lovers will be able to stream the film on MUBI. The arthouse streamer acquired the Canadian rights to Guadagnino’s much-hyped LGBTQ+ film earlier this year. Stay tuned for soon to be released streaming dates.