If you were to go into Queer with no prior knowledge of popular culture, you’d be hard-pressed to believe Daniel Craig is the same guy who plays the slick-talking action star in the role that made him uber famous. Craig’s character in Queer is no James Bond but make no mistake – his role in Luca Guadagnino’s newest work is a feat of wonder. Maybe not for its physicality – he’s not jumping out of any airplanes – but for the emotional depths his character is forced to explore as a gay man in the unforgiving era of the early 1950s.

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In a move reminiscent of 2001’s A Knight’s Tale, Guadagnino weaves the modern music of Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor throughout the period piece, creating a dizzying yet undeniably cool palate on which to paint his rollercoaster romantic drama. The dissonance between sight and sound sets a trippy tone that gets progressively wild and concludes with a mind-bending, acid trip-inspired third act.

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But that’s not before Eugene (Drew Starkey), a handsome, younger man catches William’s eye and the two embark on a dizzying May-December romance. Eugene serves as a pleasant shakeup up to the lonely William’s days, which up until then consisted of drink-sleep-repeat. But his murky romantic past gnaws at William and leads to a possessive and codependent relationship. William a sympathetic, albeit slightly pathetic, protagonist – and Eugene the type of character you want to love but simply can’t trust.

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I quite enjoyed the Call Me by Your Name-esque scenery and relaxed atmosphere the movie offered up in the first hour-and-a-half or so. The bizarre third act, which can only be described as ‘psychedelia in the jungle’, is what lost me. It dragged on way longer than it needed to, and any impactful imagery or deeper analogy was stifled in the absurdity of it all.

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Queer’s final act is undoubtedly what will make or break peoples’ opinions of it, and while it didn’t work for me, Craig and Starkey’s commitment make it impossible for me to dislike the film completely. It’s a perfect project to showcase Craig’s ability to morph into pretty much any character – I just wish I had enjoyed it more.