QUEER — Luca Guadagnino & Justin Kuritzkes take William S. Burroughs on a whole new trip

Explicit content warning

01/30/25 • 22 min

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For their first project together since last year's steamy hit CHALLENGERS, director Luca Guadagnino (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME) and writer Justin Kuritzkes tackle another story about a sensuous 1950s romance of desire and longing: an adaptation of William S. Burroughs' novel QUEER. The pair tell host Rico Gagliano about why they vibe, how they make audiences feel the heat, and how their films are like a MAD MAX movie.
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MUBI is a global streaming service, production company and film distributor dedicated to elevating great cinema. MUBI makes, acquires, curates, and champions extraordinary films, connecting them to audiences all over the world. A place to discover ambitious new films and singular voices, from iconic directors to emerging auteurs. Each carefully chosen by MUBI’s curators.

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MUBI is a global streaming service, production company and film distributor dedicated to elevating great cinema. MUBI makes, acquires, curates, and champions extraordinary films, connecting them to audiences all over the world. A place to discover ambitious new films and singular voices, from iconic directors to emerging auteurs. Each carefully chosen by MUBI’s curators.

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MUBI Podcast - QUEER — Luca Guadagnino & Justin Kuritzkes take William S. Burroughs on a whole new trip

Transcript

00:00:00.333

This episode includes adult language and spoilers.

00:00:07.812

So this movie is, of course based on the book Queer. It's by William S. Burroughs. I understand you first read it as a teenager. Tell me about reading it that first time. What was the impact? Well, I read the-- I read the book. I don't know. I have this idea that I might have even read the book during a spring day in Palermo that resembled that springtime, with all the hazy blu