Simply Beautiful

Rating: 9/10 (2 June 2018)

'Call Me By Your Name' is a simple and beautiful love story, with brilliant visuals, acting, and soundtrack. Luca Guadagnino ends his trilogy of desire (which follows 'I Am Love' and 'A Bigger Splash') with the best installment yet. It is by far the most visually stunning, with a ravishing, soft color palette that brings the hazy Italian summer to life. From the rivers to the fields and the old buildings, the scenery in this film, accompanied by the cinematography and direction, is a visual delight. The storyline, based on the book of the same name, is surely an engaging one, in all of its simplicity. While for the first act of the film, there's not much plot development, it rather effortlessly shares little moments of the summer that ultimately was nothing to be complaining about. Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer are both perfect in their leading roles, with the both of them portraying their characters exceptionally well. Chalamet's young and raw talent steals the film, with his moving performance of a complex and infatuated individual coming to terms with his identity. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with Hammer's performance, as he does it flawlessly, his character is not as likable as one would expect as he comes across as rather arrogant and perfunctory. It wasn't clear whether his character cared that much, and thus made the whole romance questionable. This, of course, went hand-in-hand with the heartbreaking ending, in which Timothée Chalamet's talent was truly shown. What also makes the film worthy of its acclaim is the soundtrack, which a wonderful mix of classical pieces, Italian pop music and original tracks by indie artist Sufjan Stevens which definitely have a profound effect on the atmosphere of the film and add to its beauty and heartache. Overall, this film is certainly worthy of the critical acclaim it has received and is Guadagnino's best film yet, due to its beauty in every aspect.