Daniel Craig’s outstanding A24 movie, Queer, arrives on the streaming service Max on March 28th. Although it was omitted from the 2025 Oscars categories, the film is undeniably a must-see. From the mind of Luca Guadagnino, Queer was the director’s second release of 2024 and continues his impressive streak of box office success. Challengers screenwriter, Justin Kuritzkes, was eager to collaborate with Guadagnino once more for this radical story about two lovers, Lee and Gene, who live in Mexico City during a particularly oppressive time period. To Queer‘s poignant ending, the story replicates some of the themes from Guadagnino’s acclaimed feature Call Me By Your Name.

Queer was filmed on a small-scale as an independent production, and following its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, Queer received plenty of attention for its potential as an awards contender. On account of this, A24 added the project to its library of movies and released the film towards the end of the year when Queer initially played at a limited capacity, and received a wider release in December 2024. With its layered metaphors and powerful imagery, the film offers a compelling viewing experience, and it proves to be an essential watch for any follower of A24, or for any fan of Queer‘s outstanding cast.

Daniel Craig’s Queer Is Now Streaming On Max – What The Movie Is About

Queer Is One Of A24’s Latest Productions

Queer is an extremely experimental story about a gay American writer living in Mexico City, circa 1954, who is facing an ongoing drug-addiction. The film is inspired by a novel of the same name by William S. Burroughs, which was written in the mid-20th century. This literary work expands upon the narrative of his previously censored novel, Junkie, and the film echoes these themes. Queer presents a wide array of explicit homoerotic visuals, in addition to the surrealist sequences that have come to be expected from an A24 production, and intentionally ambiguous scenes.

The central themes of the film are heartbreak, enduring love, and an intense, youthful desire. Lee frequents bars, engaging in substance abuse and pursuing men. His consuming infatuation with Gene (Drew Starkey) leads the pair to embark on a journey to South America. The trip across the country is driven by the desire to read Gene’s mind, as the psychedelic drug is rumored to grant telepathic abilities. The film is a wildly strange and riotous affair, with its tone becoming progressively more eccentric as it approaches its final act and surrealism serves as a crucial storytelling element.

Queer Is Luca Guadagnino’s Second Movie That Released In 2024

Challengers Debuted Just Months Before Guadagnino’s Queer

Queer debuted just eight months after Guadagnino’s critically acclaimed feature, Challengers. The movie was an instant success and went on to receive plenty of hype with both online and face-to-face audiences. Challengers accumulated a worldwide gross of $96.1 million, surpᴀssing the likes of Academy favorites, Conclave, and The Substance. Reviews for Challengers were overwhelmingly positive, primarily praising the film’s electrifying score, and the intense chemistry between the leads — Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. With that in mind, the 2025 Oscars sparked a wave of intense backlash after Guadagnino’s romantic American sports film was excluded from all categories.

The reviews for Queer were marginally more divisive. Guadagnino’s distinctive directing style is a prominent element of the film, and critics have varying responses to his choices. Critics provided divided accounts, with some commending Queer‘s ambition and others finding its surrealism excessively jarring. However, Daniel Craig’s lead performance was consistently praised in reviews of Queer. Guadagnino’s second release of 2024 was not hindered by its incredibly limited theatrical release and still performed well. Across just seven theaters, Queer‘s per theater average (PTA) hit $27,000 in its opening weekend, coming in above Wicked — and earning $190,000 PTA across its run.

Why Daniel Craig Deserved An Oscars Nomination For His Performance In A24’s Queer

Queer Is The Pinnacle Of Craig’s Extensive And Impressive Career

Shockingly, Queer failed to earn Craig an Oscar nomination, which is unfortunate given his portrayal of Lee is arguably the finest performance of his career. Needless to say, Craig delivered exceptional performances even long before his role in the Bond franchise. However, the role of Queer was exceptionally demanding. Lee required a far more intricate and nuanced performance in comparison to Craig’s opposing characters, and the actor dealt with an impressive scope of emotions throughout the film’s two-hour and 16-minute runtime, which seemed to poise him for success at the Academy Awards.

Although Queer delivered the ideal conditions for an Oscar nomination, the actor was not so fortunate. Despite Craig elevating the film and crafting Queer into a truly captivating experience, he was excluded from the Leading Actor category at the 2025 ceremony, which came as a huge surprise. Particularly after earning accolades for Queer at other major ceremonies, such as the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Taking into consideration the exceptionally strong talent in 2025’s Oscars lineup, it is unlikely Craig would have won the Academy Award, but at the very least, a nomination felt warranted to recognize his exceptional performance.