Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name

A flowing, dream-like summer memory of messy, young love and the self-discovery that results from it.

Elio is an Italian-American-Jewish boy living with his family in Italy. When Oliver, a young Jewish-American scholar comes to visit, Elio finds himself going through the awkward trial and error of entering adulthood as a summer romance slowly blossoms between them.

Though this movie is set in 1983, it has a timeless quality to it, which might be its strongest feature. It never goes overtly 80's, with the biggest references being Elio wearing a Talking Heads shirt or the now-popular-again Psychedelic Furs song, but that's really it. A large part of its timelessness comes from how it takes its time in telling the story and allows scenes to breathe and sometimes not even really go anywhere (even though the most "pointless" scenes still develop characters or help create an atmosphere). I've never read the book, but friends of mine who have consider it to be a great adaptation, which I would agree with simply because it feels novelistic without going out of its way to hit specific story beats. It's often easy to tell when a movie is based off a book because the film is rushing and stopping to make sure it hits each important part of the source material which causes off-beat pacing, but with Call Me By Your Name it flows smoothly and feels almost like a stream of consciousness. It definitely has the pacing of an Italian film as opposed to an American film, which makes sense, as this movie has essentially fooled the majority of awards season into thinking it's not a foreign film simply because most of it is in English and it stars three Americans.

Speaking of Italy, this film is gorgeously shot in Italy. I've never been there before, and this film only highlighted my regret of that continuing status. Most of the shots are static, which causes many scenes to look like moving photographs, adding to the summer-memory-feeling that the film as a whole creates. When the camera does move it's often in an incredibly long take, which feels less like an indulgent style choice and more like the film reflecting reality, as our lives are technically one unbroken shot. Except for when we sleep. Or blink. Actually never mind.

The music, with no original score (from what I could tell), is fantastic. From Psychedelic Furs "Love My Way" to three brand-new Sufjan Stevens songs, this is absolutely a soundtrack I would buy. Elio is also practicing to be a composer, so we get to see Timothy Chalemet play some music as well. The only non-diegetic music in the film are the Sufjan songs, which is a risky move in a period film because it could easily break the reality that they've set up, but luckily they absolutely work in the context of the film (but I'm madly in love with Suf's music, so I might be biased). The final song is what really seals the deal though, without going into spoilers.

Timothy Chalemet has been getting all sorts of critical praise for his performance, and it is damn well-deserved. He brings so much to this character who seems simultaneously lost yet incredibly confident in where he's going. He's able to convey so clearly what he's going through without having to push for more emotion than necessary and instead just being present. Armie Hammer is also quite good, giving his character a more alpha presence while still being charming and likable. Michael Stuhlbarg made me laugh at first with his slightly over-the-top cheeriness, but of course that really great monologue (you know the one) is delivered perfectly by him and gives his character an entirely new depth. Esther Garrel, who isn't getting anywhere near enough attention for this film, is so genuine and heartbreaking that she takes what could be a forgettable part and instead makes her unforgettable. Awards all around!

It's been about 24 hours since I saw the film and I'm still entranced by its atmosphere, music, and characters (24 hours might not sound like much, but there are films I've forgotten about while I was still watching them), so yes I would absolutely recommend this film. Just know that it has absolutely nothing to do with plot, but is instead about the emotions and the characters. Like the opposite of a Christopher Nolan movie.

Okay, one spoiler:



I like that nothing ends up working out for Elio. Both of the loves he attempts are fleeting, something that often happens to seventeen year-olds. Though these relationships could have turned out far worse (Oliver and Marzia could have been toxic and abusive but instead are both lovely and kind), he truly does experience heartbreak, which isn't always taken as seriously when young people go through it. The Sufjan song at the end accompanies his sadness in the most perfect way, and choosing to stay on that shot and have the credits roll next to him was a completely brilliant choice.

Also, Luco Guadagnino said he wants to do a sequel, which I could definitely see working in a Before trilogy kind of way, because these are interesting characters who would probably live a few different lives in the years ahead. Apparently the book talks about their later lives as well, so there you go.