Make It a Double Feature: Make the Yuletide (Sad and) Gay with ‘All of Us Strangers’ and ‘Queer’
When it comes to forming Christmas movie watchlists, one potential pitfall is not only figuring out what to watch, but being at risk of watching the same films seen every season. So, if you’re looking for something to see on Christmastime yet don’t feel like marathoning A Christmas Story with the family and the thought of seeing Home Alone again has you slapping your face, screaming, “Ahhhhhh!!,” then we’ve got you covered.
As a classic Christmas tune says, for this month’s double feature, we’ll recommend making the Yuletide gay with All of Us Strangers and Queer, which has now gone into a wider release. Two films where only one of them partially revolve around Christmastime, but still capture the holiday spirit by showing lonely queer men coming together to find some form of bliss.
In the former film is where we get a scene of our main protagonist celebrating Christmas. As Adam (Andrew Scott) gathers with the ghosts of his mother (Claire Foy) and father (Jamie Bell) by the Christmas tree, we get the song “Always On My Mind” by the Pet Shop Boys playing in the background which feels so in tune with the film it’s like the lyrics are the parents’ stream of consciousness right down to this line: “🎵Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied 🎵.” As Adam starts reconnecting with his parents, he’s forced to make the most of the limited time he has with them in a film that still delves into what are painful familial truths for those in the queer community.
One sequence in particular that exudes such truths is when Adam reveals himself as gay to his mother. While she doesn’t fully disown him, Adam’s mother still reacts with a cold indifference which, thanks to the intricacies in writer/director Andrew Haigh’s screenplay, makes the scene a microcosm of the severe anxieties felt by parents during the 1980s AIDS crisis as she also brings up her worries about him getting infected by the disease. Meanwhile, when Adam and his father tearfully reconcile in one of the film’s most famous scenes, his father saying, “I’m sorry I never came into your room when you were crying,” becomes a demonstration of men reeling from the harmful myth that males have to toughen up when they get emotional and hide their pain.
Of course, because All of Us Strangers is also a romance, the romance must be mentioned. From the opening scene involving Adam and his neighbor-turned-lover Harry (a magnetic Paul Mescal), the chemistry between both men burns through the screen. The way Harry flirts with Adam as he’s hanging by his door, offering him a drink, becomes as fiery as their first love scene together. Thanks to the performances from Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, whose omission from the Oscar five in Best Actor still stings, as two men seeking romantic and emotional connection within their isolated space, All of Us Strangers serves as an utterly poignant, transcendent storytelling exercise. One that is a ghost story, a mediation on cherishing time, and a tale of queer loneliness that touches on generational trauma all at once.
Compared to All of Us Strangers, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer is less of a film about romantic bliss. When William Lee (Daniel Craig), an American expat living in Mexico City who barhops and picks up younger men, crosses paths with discharged Navy serviceman Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), there is a bond formed. Yet, it’s as much about each of them getting a good fix as it is about them bonding due to them being outsiders in a foreign land. Even if the steamy sex scenes have a romantic aesthetic thanks to the serene score by Reznor & Ross, Queer remains about unrequited affection and its destructiveness.
For William, his pursuit of Eugene is rooted in simple yearning for physicality after being awe-struck by the initial sight of him. For Eugene, it’s about means of control. During his intro moment, the way Eugene gazes at William as he struts onto the scene in slow motion is him saying he knows William wants him, but he’ll only have him on Eugene’s terms. Furthermore, the song “Come As You Are” by Nirvana, one of various anachronistic needle drops in the 50s-set drama, used in the scene feels like a slight narration of Eugene’s own thought process (“🎵Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be 🎵”).
The way the viewer is immediately magnetized by Eugene like William is also a testament to the talents of Drew Starkey. With just a gaze and smirk, Starkey takes utter command of the screen as the sly, aloof object of William’s affection, always clueing the audience into what’s on Eugene’s mind even if William can’t piece the puzzle together. Meanwhile, Daniel Craig gives what is his best performance yet as the passionate William. Every bit of awards praise being thrust his way is deserved including hopefully, a place in the final Oscar five in Best Actor. Bonus points also go to Lesley Manville for her unrecognizable, scene-stealing turn as a bizarre scientist possessing a special herb that William craves.
With how it transcends being a 50’s-style melodrama with lush cinematography and meticulous set design to a hazy fever dream in the third act, Queer is director Luca Guadagnino’s most brazen directorial effort yet. One that, much like Andrew Haigh’s masterful chamber piece, will invite engaging discussions about the meaning of its ending. If you want cinema that is cerebral, steamy, and occasionally moving while possessing impressive performances and craftsmanship, why not watch both films and make it a double feature?
All of Us Strangers is currently streaming on Hulu and available to buy and rent on various streaming platforms. Queer is now out in select theaters.
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