It’s the summer of 1983 in Italy, and Elio (Chalamet), a precocious 17-year-old, spends his days in his family’s villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading and flirting with his friend Marzia. One day, Oliver (Hammer), a charming American scholar arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father, an eminent professor. Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
S**M
Is it a video ? No it's a truly outstanding piece of modern cinema - a classic.
This is one of the best films I have seen in ages, and one of the only movies in years to stay with me days, if not weeks after the viewing.This sensual and alluring film was adapted for the big screen by James Ivory, from a novel by Andre Aciman, immediately giving the piece a depth of understanding, that a screenwriter of his calibre brings to any project he's involved in. However, it is Luca Guadagnino's script and deftness of touch as a director, that stays with you.For so long I have been watching big budget CGI studio movies, and while I have enjoyed them for what they are, it is so refreshing to go back to basics and be reminded of what makes cinema great. For me that is what this film did. I am sure that this is will be referenced for many years to come, and represents a masterclass in it's genre.Sometimes directors make films throughout their career that hint at their talent but they never quite reach their peak, so many variables dictatate this. It so often not about ability directorial wise, or about the performances of those involved in any particular project, but an overall coming together of so many things, that make up what eventually becomes the finished product.Happily here we find that a perfect conbination of an amazing script, beautiful locations, lovely acoustics, an incredible cast, combined with stunning cinematography, which I am sure will stay in the minds of all who see it, for many years to come.The characterisations of all the cast are so realistic you cannot help but be drawn in by the heartfelt and moving roles that particularly the two leads playing Elio and Oliver provide.The PlotElio Perlman is a seventeen year boy staying in Crema at his parents villa as he does every summer, where his father Mr Perlman welcomes a research fellow for 6 weeks every year to join them. This is how Oliver the object of the young mans affections appears in Elio's life and for the teenager it is love at first sight. However we as an audience watch this attraction between them evolve at first slowly with little hints, until it totally takes them over and they are totally unable to resist the feelings they have for each other and it is obvious they have fallen madly in love.What makes this so compelling is the way the two main protagonists are able to convey the depth of feeling Elio and Oliver have for one another, it is the little touches that made this so special. For example there is a scene where Elio has a nose bleed and Oliver rushes to see if he is ok. Although there is alot of physical contact it is in a non sexual way. Luca Guadagnino allows it to be just intimate enough to show how much these two people care about each other, but restrained enough to show how unsure the two men are about where this is going and what is at stake.I can't stress how brilliant the actors Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer are in their interpretation of the script, because in different hands this may have been less so.In Timothee's case his Elio is the centre of attention as the camera follows him as he grows in his awareness of his sexuality and the need to express it. This incredible actor portrays the part with so little self conciousness it is hard to distinguish him from his on screen counter part. He brings so much realism to his onscreen alterego it will be impossible not to have a lump in your throat at the end of all of it.For anyone who has seen the film or read the book they will already know that there are several scenes likely to go down in film folklore such as one involving a peach and the other regards the conversation that takes place between Elio and his dad that is one of the most profound and moving I have witnessed on screen, and worth the admission price alone.However, personally speaking, and without spoiling the ending for anyone, it is the closing four minutes of the credit roll that made me buy this on dvd, and have I watched it at least 6 times now as a stand alone moment.Timothee Chalamet's wordless Elio convey's so much to the audience literally through his sheer intelligence and understanding of his character, along with the atmospheric track evocatively sung by Surfan Stevens created especially for the moment that has systematically reduced many a viewer to tears. Boy, does this actor know how to use the intimacy, created by acting to a unmanned camera, to good effect. I understand he was also listening to the track while being filmed, which ultimately produces one of the most watchable and memorable moments in modern cinema.Just beyond any expectation I could have had. Pure loveliness and, also a very persuasive advert for the stunning beauty that is Italy itself.I didn't see this when it initially came out, and didn't really take any notice of it until the Oscar hype, so my only regret is not seeing this on a bigger screen.
W**L
A film that stays with you for all the best reasons.
It's been a long time since I've seen a film so well crafted that it sticks in your mind and likely will in your memories too. There is something about a film where the silences tell you more than if it were constant dialogue or sounds. The way the script uses less dialogue was a strong point - the scriptwriter assumes the viewer has a brain instead of trying to explain everything. Sublime and beautiful; heartbreaking.
J**S
Heartfelt, beautiful, with great uninhibited performances
A fantastic brilliant wonderful film.Gloriously set in Italy, great performances from the two leads .A really lovely heartfelt romantic story about self discovery so beautifully done ......I LOVED it.
D**S
More visual in appeal than in script
Stunning visually, but lacking a powerful script, and responsibility for that must surely go to the director. Dialogue mostly one liners, with only one decent speech, given by the dad. This makes it hard to engage and empathise with the characters who are given so little to say, with one-dimensional interaction between them, and so it's hard to believe Elio's sudden transition from disdain for Oliver, to being head over heels for him. Chalamet as Elio does a convincing job with the little that has been given to him to say, especially towards the end, when Oliver marries a woman. All the actors are strong, and one could only wish for a better storyline. The central controlling idea, "Call me by your name, and I'll call you by mine", is thrown away by being delivered too fast, almost flippantly, when to my mind, it is the most powerful statement in the entire movie.The film has rated 7.9 on IMDb, and I wonder how it managed that, given the problems as I have outlined them. It's definitely a must-have for any collector of LGBT+ movies, and at least nobody dies and nobody is thrown of home, but I think we've a way to go yet before an epic movie hits our screens. Sadly, this is not it.
C**
Beautiful story
'Call me by your name' is a beautiful story of young love and the emotions that come with it.The story intertwines between a long summer vacation in the French countryside and the family welcoming a young scholar to stay and carry out research and the playful interaction between the son and daughter and this guest. Feelings develop between them and the new friendship goes further than anyone envisaged. The painful Farewell is dealt with and the heartfelt conversation between father and son is for me one of the finest moments in modern film history.
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