Querelle (1982)

Based on Jean Genet's novel, QUERELLE marked the end of the controversial directorial career of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Brimming with often graphic gay imagery and themes, it tells the story of Querelle (Brad Davis, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS), a sexually swaggering sailor and drug trafficker on a pass in the port of Brest in pursuit of sexual gratification. In a brothel, he is reunited with his brother Robert and makes the acquaintance of Robert's lover Lysiane (Jeanne Moreau) and her brooding husband Nono. Querelle later mysteriously murders another man, pinning the blame on known homosexual Gil. But when Querelle finds himself in a sexual relationship with Gil, his dangerous circumstance becomes even more complicated. Critically savaged (and possibly misunderstood) upon its 1983 release, Fassbinder's swan song offers a uniquely surreal and dreamlike tone, offering a wealth of fascinating imagery to the adventurous viewer.