Daniel Craig Cruises for Love and Sex in First Trailer for Luca Guadagnino’s Queer

Director Luca Guadagnino’s latest meditation on love and sex is headed for the big screen in the U.S. in the near future, in the form of Queer. The adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ classic 1985 novel is set in late 1940s Mexico City, where an older drug addict wanders the bars of his neighborhood, looking for sexual compatibility and connection. Daniel Craig stars as Lee, an opiate addict who fled to Mexico City where his drugs of choice haven’t yet been outlawed, as he pursues a younger man in an effort to stave off what seems to be an encroaching mid-life crisis. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in Sept., where reviews have been mixed so far, with reviewers praising Craig–who is already getting some Oscar buzz–but noting that Guadagnino’s story at times does feel rather aimless or gratuitous. As the official synopsis puts it:

Set in 1940s Mexico City, Queer follows Lee who, after fleeing from a drug bust in New Orleans, wanders around the city’s clubs and becomes infatuated with drug user Allerton, a discharged American Navy serviceman.

That romantic focal point is a character played Drew Starkey, while Queer‘s strong ensemble is rounded out by Jason Schwartzman, Henry Zaga and Lesley Manville. The trailer, which you can view below, evokes the dense heat of Mexico City at the close of World War II, every character seemingly slicked in a thin sheen of sweat–although in the case of Lee, there are other substances at play here as well. Not to mention the other substances he’s searching for, as the story of Burrough’s Queer involves the search for the mystical drug yage, which we today know as ayahuasca.

Also depicted in the trailer below is the film’s propensity for modern needle drops, in this case featuring Sinead O’Connor’s acoustic version of Nirvana’s “All Apologies.” Expect more in this vein, as Guadagnino’s film is reportedly full of needle drops of varying levels of effectiveness, per Paste‘s own review of Queer. The film is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters in limited release on Nov. 27, 2024–in the meantime, check out the trailer below.