Queer

Trying to project a debonair charm while also reveling in cynicism and self-loathing, Queer isn’t persuasive enough to have it both ways.

As directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name), this offbeat and evocative reworking of a semiautobiographical novel by iconoclastic author William S. Burroughs overflows with sexual tension and noir-infused period atmosphere.

Yet while it leverages the eccentricities inherent in the source material, the film struggles to translate those in a way that fits the more conventional narrative constraints of a cinematic adaptation.

The story is set in 1950 in Mexico City, where William Lee (Daniel Craig) is an American expatriate writer who spends most days in his favorite café, sipping on libations while ostentatiously flashing his sardonic wit to anyone within earshot.

His dismissive demeanor keeps him at a distance as Lee and regular drinking buddy Joe (Jason Schwartzman) admire male passersby to feed their fantasies.

Burdened by his addictions and obsessions, none of those encounters amount to much until Lee spots Eugene (Drew Starkey), a young drifter lured into an affair with sugar-daddy promises.

Lee also is consumed by a drug habit, which is what exiled him from the United States in the first place, and arranges for Eugene to accompany him on a weeklong trip to South America that includes a visit with a wacky faith healer (Lesley Manville). The adventure also their relationship.

The film ultimately is a character study about a self-loathing loner struggling to reconcile his shallow sexual desires with his reputation as a sardonic and sophisticated raconteur.

Craig transforms into a role that showcases his versatility. He digs beneath Lee’s array of anguished quirks and bitter outbursts to generate hard-earned sympathy during a misguided quest for acceptance and fulfillment.

Starkey (The Other Zoey) goes beyond physicality as an object of Lee’s affection, and the supporting cast is uniformly strong, as you’d expect with Guadagnino at the helm.

The screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes (who also collaborated with the filmmaker on Challengers) is muddled as a broader examination of queer identity that bogs down in bleakness and nihilism without sufficient thematic depth or texture.

Queer takes us to some intriguing places visually but not emotionally. As it becomes darker and more surreal, the meandering odyssey isn’t as provocative or profound as intended.

Rated R, 136 minutes.