Call Me By Your Name
By Rose Yanover - Guest Contributor
It tells the story of a grown man wanting to have sex with a 17-year-old. That only sounds creepy if you strip the art away from it, and there is a lot of art in this 2 hour and 17-minute movie. It's filled with romance and heartbreak and short shorts. This movie teaches us that love transcends all boundaries. It shows how taboo being gay was not so long ago. They had to hide their romance from the world just because they were the same gender. Though there is an age difference and the grown man is the graduate student of the 17-year-old’s father, it never seems too predatory. The writing is superb. They talk as if they're real humans and not characters from a book. The monologues cascade like a waterfall from one character to another. The direction is pulled back like we are an onlooker, watching this relationship unfold. A relationship that, SPOILER ALERT, ultimately ends in heartbreak. This movie made me cry like a baby. When Elio was crying in front of the fireplace, I was crying too. You feel all of the anger and the pain as you think back across the story. The direction lingers on Elio's face through the credits, it does not cut away. It really shows you the authenticity of the feeling. Real-life doesn't have random cutaways, why should movies? It's not a spectacle, it's understated. It knows that this is a realistic love story with romance and heartbreak just like all love stories do. The acting is also fantastic. Every actor pulls their weight in glorious understated performances that transcend the screen and into your hearts. This movie is a cinematic masterpiece and deserves all the acclaim it received.
logline: In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a 17-year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant.
Source: IMDb
My Favorite Characters:
Timothee Chalamet as Elio Perlman - Chalamet had been working a little bit up until this point. But this movie skyrocketed him to superstardom and fixtures on teenage girl's walls. He got a well-deserved Oscar nomination for a performance that doesn't even look like acting. It looks like being. Elio could be anyone. He's not just a character on a screen. He is a real fully-fleshed out person.
Armie Hammer as Oliver: that voice, my god. I completely understand why Elio fell in love with him. I did too. He's not a creepy older guy that falls for a 17-year-old. He is a man in love. Love transcends age, according to this movie. It's devastating what happens at the end of this movie and you get so angry at Oliver for putting us through that. But you can't stay mad at him.
Something I liked: The best scene in the movie is the final scene, in my opinion. SPOILERS AHEAD. During Hanukkah, Oliver calls Elio's family to tell them he is engaged to be married. He tells Elio that he remembers everything very clearly. After the call, Elio sits down by the fireplace and stares into the flames, tearfully reminiscing, as his parents and the house staff prepare a holiday dinner. The movie ends when Elio, still seated by the fireplace and now appearing to be more content, throws a glance into the camera as his mother calls for him. I mean, he looks at the camera. What an amazing shot.
Fun Fact: Timothée Chalamet learned to speak Italian and play the classical piano pieces used in the film.
This movie is rated R. Here’s why:
Sexual Content
Nudity
Language
Where to Watch: available for rent or purchase on all major platforms
Image Source: Wallpaper Cave