A New Era for Cheesy Films.

Rating: 6/10 (7 January 2019)

As society changes, art as a mirror of it has to do the same. This is made clear in one scene of this film: "The cinema is a mirror of reality". And that is a fact, a truth that the seventh art has embraced: Tell the stories that affect this world or those that deserve attention. And today, the day I write this, I can say that we live in an authentic time of transition. Social struggles seek to empower themselves more and more through entertainment media by breaking with traditional taboos. Moonlight, winner of the Oscar for Best Film on 2016, is a proof of that. However, as I said with that project, Call me by Your Name gets a great relevance for this, not necessarily for being a great movie.
The script, in my opinion, is shown as the strong pillar of this film. In this case, the internal conflict that the protagonist suffers when experiencing infatuation towards a person of the same sex. The most interesting thing, and that is where I think the mastery of this script rests, is the fact of managing the main conflict of gay love no longer having society or conservatism as the main antagonist (Although a key era is used to deal with with taboo), but to self-established barriers and self-absorption. In particular, this aspect is accentuated when the adolescent repeats on several occasions the phrase: "Is it better to confess, or to die?". Personally, that scene near the end of the film in which Elio talks to his father about the adventure he had with Oliver is the central point. Deep and moving scene. Good dialogue and a soundtrack that perfectly embellishes the story.
The development of the characters, however, is not something we can applaud. Except for Elio (emphasizing the work of Timothée Chalamet, even if Gary Oldman proved to be a better contender for the award) and perhaps his father, the other characters lack a real purpose, except Oliver, who still think that only appears in the film to play the conflicting lover ... nothing more. In his character, an attempt was made to insert a bit of resistance to the idea of same-sex romance, but in the end it only occupies a role that, although necessary to tell the story, lacks real depth, unless Elio is next to him. The film in general responds to all the actions of the protagonist: his female lover, his mother, the Armie Hammer's character, the housekeeper. Although Elio is an incredibly complex character and a reflection of many people who live through the changes he goes through, the rest of the cast seems to have no real interference in the plot and in the way it develops.
It is evident that Call me by your Name pretends to be seen as part of a new phase of Hollywood work. And, in my opinion, it accomplishes that task. It is another romantic film and to a certain extent honeyed. Like an authentic Chick Flick, it is full of literary references, live music, cheesy phrases and over much longer than history could merit. If we do the mental exercise of extracting the LGBT+ theme, we will notice that it is like any other romantic foreign film, with an interesting plot, extraordinary landscapes and characters that cause tenderness, but without going any further. Therefore, I believe that it is precisely the theme of love between people of the same sex that is so relevant to this production. And, in my opinion, a good film is the one that is capable of introducing this theme at the same time that it tells a story of masterly plot and at least optimal filming quality. While the intention behind Call me by your Name may be considered admirable, I do not think that the same can be said for its filmographic quality.