Lovely ...

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2017)

I enjoyed this very much. The cinematography was excellent. The acting is exceptional and artfully emotional. However, there were a few quibbles that I wished had been addressed a little more clearly. The age gap seemed larger than it actually was given the actor's appearances. I was a little uncomfortable with how "young" Elio looked (and sometimes acted) compared to a much more "mature" looking Oliver. I was a little concerned about some rather unsettling pedo-vibes that may have unintentionally resulted from this. I think this may have been exacerbated by Elio's obvious infatuation with Oliver and a much less defined attraction on Oliver's part.
And I was a little dismayed that the girls in this film were treated and used with such disdained -- basically experiments and/or beards as the two gay characters came to terms with their own sexuality. It impacted how much I liked the main characters -- particularly towards the end of the movie when Oliver had that smug scene on the bus leaving town. I cannot help but feel for all these heartbroken women who get run over by the sad/terrible forces in this movie and who are victims in their own right. All are collateral damage (including Oliver's future wife) and that makes me even more sad for the characters in this movie. I wished that aspect was addressed a little more thoroughly and less flippantly. Still, I loved this movie ... found it incredibly moving, poignantly beautiful and just lovely (despite its flaws). Well done ...