Unlike the sanitized 2018 hit Bohemian Rhapsody, "Queen: Somebody to Love" is a raw, R-rated, and deeply psychological exploration of the band's internal dynamics. The film focuses less on the "Greatest Hits" montage and more on the creative warfare inside the studio during the 1970s and the hedonistic, lonely isolation of Freddie Mercury in the 1980s.
The narrative is framed around the dichotomy of Freddie’s life: the shy, insecure immigrant Farrokh Bulsara versus the larger-than-life god Freddie Mercury. It delves unflinchingly into the underground gay subculture of New York and Munich that Freddie embraced, contrasting it with the domestic, grounded lives of Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. The central conflict is the "family" of the band breaking apart under the weight of Freddie's solo ambitions and spiraling health, culminating not just in Live Aid, but in the quiet, heartbreaking recording of their final album, Innuendo, where a dying Freddie pushes his voice to the limit to leave a final message to the world.
