19/47
William Lee: Sit Down!
Narrative
In 1950s Mexico City, an American expat in his late 50s lives a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student finally makes the man make a meaningful connection with someone. Daniel Craig was the one who finally convinced Luca Guadagnino to cast Drew Starkey after watching Guadagnino’s audition tapes and telling him “That’s the guy” after seeing Starkey. Or What’s Left of It After Four Years in the Navy.
Queer seeks to expose the complicated relationships between men
Presents Orfej (1950). Society tends to group men into categories in constant failed attempts to try to understand them. This film points out some realities of the male species. In short, men are much more complicated than we think.
The film starts out quite predictably
It’s a far cry from what we know director Luca’s work to be. Don’t expect another “Call Me By Your Name” or anything like it. It’s different and will take you to a different time and place, where men weren’t so easy to read. They still aren’t easy to read.
And that, in a nutshell, is what this film is about
The only difference is that today, we tend to apply our own perceptions and doubts to people we really don’t know anything about. Talking more about the film will only give away its secrets. This is a film that you want to discover on your own, hopefully, without having read too much about it. It’s slow, but very subtle and beautiful to watch, as it becomes progressively more engaging.
For that alone, I believe, the film achieved its purpose
I would have liked to have seen more coverage of the guy, but I understand the intentions behind his sometimes vague narrative. The film beautifully and visually explores the way most of us would really like to get a glimpse into the true self of the person we trust our hearts to.