Querelle (1982)

Anchoring in the port city of Brest, the French naval vessel 'Le Vengeur' brings with it an undercurrent of raw passion, as palpable as the salty sea air. The ship’s captain, Lieutenant Seblon, is a man torn between authority and desire, secretly yearning for one of his sailors, the enigmatic Querelle. Upon disembarking, Querelle finds himself drawn to 'La Feria,' an infamous bar and brothel run by the volatile couple, Nono and Lysiane. The establishment is notorious for its peculiar tradition: any man seeking Lysiane's affections must first gamble with Nono in a dice game, a loss leading to a night of unexpected intimacy with Nono himself. When Querelle encounters his brother Robert at La Feria, he is taken aback to find him deeply entwined with Lysiane, a relationship that exempted Robert from the dice game's notorious rules. This revelation stokes the flames of Querelle's latent passions, revealing a complex bond that goes beyond the familial ties between the brothers. As Querelle navigates the murky waters of his own identity, he ostensibly becomes involved in opium trade, though it appears to be more of a pretext for his explorations of self. The inhabitants of La Feria, each embroiled in their own quests for self-discovery, create a vibrant tapestry of intersecting lives. From the stone mason Gilles, who seemingly yearns for the young Paulette, to her brother Roger who shares an unspoken tension with Gilles, and Mario, the de facto guardian of La Feria's secrets. As these characters grapple with the blurred lines between desire, love, and shame, they are drawn into a whirlpool of emotion and revelation, their lives irrevocably intertwined in a dance as intricate as the roll of Nono's dice.

Querelle is a drama movie featuring Brad Davis and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Querelle is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Tubi TV and it's also available on Criterion Channel and Max Amazon Channel.