A Disappointing Slog

Rating: 4/10 (4 January 2018)

I was so disappointed, I had hopes that this critically acclaimed film would actually be good. I was hoping for another Brokeback Mountain, instead I sat through I film so dull it felt like it was six hours long. I don't know how old Oliver was supposed to be, every indication seemed to be that he was in his late 20s judging by his apparent education and physical appearance. That just makes him pretty much a sexual predator preying on a confused, naive seventeen year old boy. That is not the basis of a great love story. If the story was about a heterosexual relationship and Elio was a girl, then Oliver would come across as a predator and people might notice that nothing actually happens in the entire film.
There was no conflict at any point in the film, Brokeback Mountain or Moonlight had the societal pressures against their relationships weighing on them, feeding into their confusion and struggle. That is not present here, no one has any problem with homosexuality, and while there is certainly nothing wrong with that, storytelling thrives on conflict, and that was certainly missing. It was essentially a summer love rom-com without any comedy. There was no reason to care about the characters, as someone who is not homosexual, there was no way for me to connect to any of the characters, because they really weren't given any other traits. This led to me really not caring what happened to any of them in their pampered carefree lives.
The entire film is building towards a speech at the end that was well done and served as the culmination of the entire film. Then, at a perfect moment to roll credits and leave on a high note, it then proceeds for 5 more minutes to no effect besides destroying any lasting impact of the speech.