Movie review of Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name, Starring Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer unravel the ravishing bond of friendship and love.

Director Luca Guadagnino finds the sweetest spot between finding self-identity and first love.

Name of the Movie: Call Me By Your Name

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Writer: Luca Guadagnino, James Ivory, Walter Fasano

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg

Cinematographer: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Editor: Walter Fasano

IMDB Movie Rating: 7.9/10

The movie is set in the summer of 1983, unravelling a ravishing story between a precocious boy Elio who lives in Lombardy, Italy and a doctoral student Oliver who is working as an intern for Elio’s father.

The film is directed by Luca Guadagnino (famous for his early work, I Am Love and A Bigger Splash) and adapted from the novel by Andre Aciman. Later, screenplay by James Ivory who did a marvellous work in making his film version of EM Forster’s ‘Maurice’. And Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom who has never worked with Guadagnino but when he visited the site he could clearly see how the landscape and summer light shaped the movie, which can be seen in the cinematography of the movie.

It’s a story about a 17-year-old boy Elio who is grumpy and moody unlike any other teenager and Oliver who is a students working with his father in the summer as an intern. The story line starts with Oliver coming to Elio’s villa where the two of them starts growing feelings for each other. Elio who is clueless about his sexuality and is dressed mostly in nothing but shorts throughout the summer; starts having an admiration for Oliver who is impossibly handsome and who never wears a pair of long trousers in the entire movie.  

Not knowing what to do in the hot summer most of the time they spent is reading, playing volleyball, sunbathing, having meals and cycling into towns to drink in bars. At any one point, nothing is happening, and everything is happening. Elio and Oliver will catch each other’s eye in their adjoining bedrooms or downstairs in the hall; having meals and while swimming and playing. Each of this superbly weighted moments is as gripping as thriller. As the proverb goes by, Action speaks louder than words this phrase suits best in this movie where actions shows every feeling and emotions. Their desire over the course of the summer alters their life forever.

Timothee performance as Elio is outstanding, especially when he is talking to his father in one scene where his father gives him life knowledge and is very supportive to his sexuality. Same goes for Oliver his surreal amazing acting makes us dwell in the movie.

Though the ending is ambiguous and let the viewer’s think of it in their way, that’s the beauty of Guadagnino movie. Overall, the movie did a splendid job editing and the emotion provoking music.