(2024, Italy, USA, 135')
Fleeing a drug raid in New Orleans, Lee finds refuge in a decaying 1940s Mexico City. In what is known as the “crime capital of the world,” Lee navigates increasingly sordid locales populated by society’s outcasts. Enveloped by the coils of addiction, he becomes infatuated with Allerton, a young, ambiguous ex-Navy sailor with the same passion for heroin but who is initially wary and indifferent to Lee’s advances. Lee’s desire for Allerton soon turns into an obsession as he embarks on a prolonged journey through hallucinations, sensations, and memories. The film is adapted from the short novel by William S. Burroughs.
Luca Guadagnino, who made his directorial debut at the Venice Film Festival in 1999 with The Protagonist, has frequently returned to the Lido: in 2009 with I Am Love, in 2010 as a jury member chaired by Quentin Tarantino, in 2013 with the documentary Bertolucci on Bertolucci, followed by A Bigger Splash (2015), Suspiria (2018), and Bones and All, which won the Silver Lion in 2022. In 2023, he was set to present his highly anticipated Challengers at Venice, but the presentation was postponed due to the Hollywood strike by directors and actors. Adapting Burroughs’ controversial work was one of Guadagnino’s long-held dreams, adding to his notable successes, including another adaptation, Call Me by Your Name (2017), based on André Aciman’s novel.
From page to screen: Queer by William S. Burrough according to Guadagnino
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