Call Me By Your Name is a beautiful film about a 17-year-old boy’s awakening to first love and desire.
The boy, Elio, is the only son of an archaeologist and his wife, who summer at their 17th century villa in northern Italy.
Elio is smart as a whip, a composer and a student of languages, but, as one would expect, naive in matters of the heart. The summer days drag by until the arrival of Oliver (Armie Hammer), there for a six-week internship with Elio’s father. Oliver is 24, handsome, charming and self-assured, and Elio develops an immediate attraction to him and quickly shifts his focus from his French girlfriend to this American “hunk.”
The romance between the two develops slowly, with stolen glances, innuendo and mixed signals as the pair tries to work out where the other’s feelings lie. It is the 1980’s and, although Elio’s parents seem to approve of the liaison, there is still trepidation about acting on the attraction. Ultimately the relationship blooms and the two enjoy euphoric days filled with music, food and romance, and an exciting end-of-summer trip that seems all the more heartfelt as an inevitable goodbye looms.
The cinematography is gorgeous and slow in pace, reflecting the nature of time in the summer—slow, easy and free-flowing. With spectacular shots of the Italian villa and countryside, the director, Luca Guadagnino, captures the seductiveness of nature and the passions it can arouse.
The score, which features 80’s pop songs, classical melodies and original songs, adds another layer of lushness to the film. Call Me By Your Name is nominated for Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
The movie is superbly acted, particularly by Timothee Chalamet, who navigates all the complexity of Elio’s emergent feelings. He is a budding superstar who received nominations for Best Actor at the Golden Globes and the Oscars for this role. There are two poignant scenes near the end of the movie, a much lauded one with Elio’s father (Michael Stuhlbarg) that is deeply moving, and the final shot of Elio that truly captures all the emotions of love and loss, longing and despair.
In the end, Call Me By Your Name is a love story that transcends labels to simply express a pure and innocent tale of first love. The intimate scenes are handled delicately and with discretion. The 14A rating is for sexual content, nudity and foul language but all are minimal. Presented by the Film Society at 5 p.m. on Feb. 3 at the Salmar Classic.