Luca Guadagnino's Queer: Whether Allerton Really Loves Lee (Or Is Just Using Him) Addressed By Writer

Queer writer Justin Kuritzkes has offered insight into the complex relationship between William Lee and Eugene Allerton in Luca Guadagnino’s latest film. The A24 historical drama, adapted from William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novella, explores the turbulent emotions of Lee, a disillusioned American expat in 1950s Mexico City, as he becomes infatuated with the enigmatic Allerton. Starring Daniel Craig as Lee and Drew Starkey as Allerton, Queer charts their fraught relationship while immersed in the seedy yet vibrant world of post-war Mexico.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Kuritzkes discusses his perspective on the somewhat unstable dynamic between Lee and Allerton, emphasizing the mutual, albeit "unsynchronized," nature of their connection. Queer marks the second collaboration between Guadagnino and Kuritzkes after the complicated love story of Challengers, which dealt similarly with this intersection of romance and control. Speaking to the challenges of adapting Burroughs’ confessional work, Kuritzkes' shares his approach to writing Allerton as a character with agency rather than a passive object of Lee's desire. Here's what he had to say:

Screen Rant: Lee and Allerton have a deep and passionate bond, but Allerton also has one foot out the door. His perspective is not as readily available to the audience, so how do you approach writing that character and the mystery surrounding him? Kuritzkes: The book is all very much told from Lee's perspective, and Allerton is almost always viewed through the lens of Lee trying to figure out what's going on inside of this kid. But it was really important to me that Allerton not be this completely disinterested, cold person who was using Lee or playing around with him or anything like that. That wasn't interesting to me because, first of all, that didn't feel like what was actually happening in the novel. But it also just felt like in any relationship, there's a two-way street. Luca has said, in a very succinct and nice way, that this isn't a story of unrequited love as much as it's a story of unsynchronized love. These guys are in some way always trying to find a way to be on the same page, but it's very difficult. It's always difficult to open the kind of channel that's required to communicate with somebody on the level of intuition, which is what they're both after. Lee, in a very direct and purposeful way, says it all the time. But Allerton says in his own way because otherwise, why is he going on this trip with him? What's he doing? It was always really important to me that Allerton have agency in this whole thing and that Allerton had desire; not just be an object of desire. Because that's not nearly as interesting as the other way around.

What Kuritzkes' Perspective On Lee & Allerton's Relationship Means

There's A Two-Way Street Of Desire In Guadagnino’s Queer

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Justin Kuritzkes’ comments underlay the nuanced emotions at play in Queer as depicted in Lee and Allerton’s tumultuous relationship. While Lee’s perspective dominates the film, Kuritzkes’ approach ensures that Allerton is more than a passive figure or object of Lee’s unrelenting fantasy. Allerton’s willingness to join Lee on his journey through Mexico City and later to South America suggests there's a sense of mutual desire, even if not fully compatible with Lee’s intense romantic pursuit.

Related Where To Watch Queer: Showtimes & Streaming Status Daniel Craig teams up with Luca Guadagnino in a new A24 movie, and here is where to watch Queer in theaters, on streaming, or on digital.

Queer is a story of “unsynchronized love,” as Guadganino and Kuritzkes come to describe it, where the two characters attempt to meet each other on an emotional level but fail due to misaligned intentions and internal crises. Kuritzkes’ depiction of Allerton as an active participant with his own desires reflects the broader theme of Queer: the challenge of navigating human connections in a world fraught with an oppressive, judgmental gaze. The film thus avoids reducing Allerton to an empty plot device and demonstrates the often lonely journey one must take in claiming their identity.

Our Take On Kuritzkes' Perspective On Lee & Allerton’s Relationship

Why The Story Of Queer Is More Than Unrequited Love

Kuritzkes’ interpretation of Lee and Allerton’s relationship provides a refreshing lens through which to view the heartbreak of Queer. By focusing on the mutual, albeit flawed, efforts of the characters to connect, the narrative achieves an emotional authenticity that rings achingly true. Guadagnino’s sensual vision, paired with Kuritzkes’ poignant writing, ensures the queer romance is more than just an examination of unrequited love. Queer becomes a meditation on the struggle for desire and intimacy in an unforgiving world, a theme that is timeless and profoundly human.