Film Review: Call Me By Your Name

Set in the summer of 1983 in a small town in Northern Italy, Call Me By Your Name follows the story of a graduate student, Oliver, who comes to live with an Italian-Americanfamily for the summer to study. The family are close-knit and well educated, comprised of a mother, an academic father and seventeen-year-old son, Elio, who spends his summers at the house reading and transcribing music.

Upon Oscar’s arrival Elio offers to show him around town where they ride bikes and visit cafes. Oliver is immediately comfortable in the surroundings, which is both impressive and agitating for Elio. They hang around with local teenagers, swimming at the lake and playing volleyball, where Elio becomes increasingly aware of everybody's love of Oliver. This only further enhances Elio’s stand-offish attitude towards Oliver but also his desire to impress him. Oliver humours him, listening to him play piano and guitar, starting the beginning of their interest in one another.

After spending many days together in the sun-drenched surroundings of the villa, the pair attend an outdoor nightclub with friends. Everybody watches in awe as Oliver romances a woman on the dance floor whilst Elio looks on unimpressed and angry, smoking a cigarette. The soundtrack of this film is something so well integrated and poignant with the films meaning that it acts as a character in its own right. The use of 1980’s synth-pop anthem Love My Way by The Psychedelic Furs, which booms at the disco amongst smoke and colourful flashing lights is electric. Watching on as Oliver dances entirely carefree in his billowing linen shirt Elio decides to join the crowd in an attempt to gain Oliver’s attention by dancing with girls.

Elio’s act is ignored, which causes him to sneak away from the disco with a local girl Marzia; something he relays confidently to his father and Oliver round the breakfast table the next morning. However, in trying to impress and bond with Oliver over ‘guy talk’ he is pushed away. This only further confuses Elio of Oliver’s thoughts of him and causes him to become even more desperate for Oliver’s approval as well as a burning desire to connect with him and talk about intimate things.

Despite Oliver’s resistance to speak openly of his feelings, Elio takes a leap and is finally let in as they lay in the grass on a river bank in the glittering sun. Their previous subtle looks and touches become intense displays of affection, as weeks of hidden feelings reveal themselves in incredible honest sensuality. This explosion of pent-up emotion is so beautifully shown between the two, which soon transitions into a passionate and meaningful love which is only intensified by the time-constraints of a summer romance.  For Elio, this is all happening for the very first time which makes the performance so emotionally intimate and pure. Their love for one another is shown most prevalently as Oliver suggests they call each other by the others name, an intimate and personal act of ownership over one another, which becomes their version of ‘I love you’.

These two characters are played so beautifully by Timothée Chalamet (Elio) and Armie Hammer (Oliver). Timothy Chalamet, in particular, is the shining star of this film, at only twenty-one years old he shows an emotional truth that is so raw and reminiscent of the turbulent feelings of youth. Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays Elio’s father, also deserves a mention for playing the wonderfully understanding dad that everybody needs.

Based on the novel by André Aciman this story talks of a love that is authentic and vulnerable. This film is an ode to first relationships and first heartbreaks, to the complications and chaos of being young and the desperation and desire for both physical affection and true love. Simply, this film is about two people falling in love and will resonate with you regardless of your sexual orientation. It is both blissfully happy and soul-crushing and is without a doubt the most beautiful film I have seen in years.