Call Me By Your Name

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Stars: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg

A hot summer romance set in Northern Italy – Call Me by Your Name is a tender, deeply sensual drama about a young boy who falls in love with an older man. The film was adapted from the novel by André Aciman, and has so far been nominated for three Golden Globe awards. The director, Luca Guadagnino, is known for I Am Love (2009), a more conventional romantic drama.

Elio, excellently played by Timothée Chalamet, is a 17-year-old multi-talented musician, who, in the midst of a 1983 summer, hopelessly searches for his identity. He falls for Oliver (Armie Hammer), a Roman God-like American who arrives to help Elio’s father, Mr Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg), with archaeological research.

Elio offers to show Oliver around, and their quiet bike rides to town eventually turn into erotic adventures. The setting, with its rich apricot bushes, tables full of food and wine, and the constant sound of crickets, takes the viewer right there – to the burning sun and the smell of salty air. It’s a cinematic masterpiece accompanied by occasional Bach and nuggets of golden 80s music, such as Love My Way by The Psychedelic Furs.

Most scenes are long and don’t show any action or drama. Instead, the camera points towards the quiet garden, the pool, or little pointless details at the dining table, making the film feel like reality, not just perfectly cut sequences of dramatic dialogue. The two protagonists stroll around in (very short) shorts and unbuttoned linen shirts, and lazily look at each other’s bronzed, sweaty chests. They have strong chemistry, but try to fight the desire they unknowingly share. Elio, though impeccably well-read, is naïve and inexperienced when it comes to love, so he copies Oliver in order to impress him. The couple’s strange dynamics paint an accurate picture of being confused about one’s sexuality, and falling in love with forbidden fruit. “Is it better to speak or die?”, asks Elio when he ponders on revealing his true feelings.

Chalamet gives an outstanding performance. The more emotion he shows, the more the audience identifies with him. Towards the end of the film, Elio’s father gives a speech about love and acceptance, and offers an angle that is unconventional in Hollywood. This speech is particularly touching and memorable, bringing viewers to tears.

Call Me by Your Name is a new take on a gay love story, showing how pure and tender such a relationship can be. It is a must-see for anyone who values beautiful cinematography, or for those who want to make it through dinner-party conversations in the 21st century.