A modern day Merchant/Ivory....

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2019)

A modern day Merchant/Ivory (w/out Merchant) through & through and brought back so many memories of the first time I watched films such as Maurice and A Room with a View - passion and romance regardless of sexuality surrounded by sumptuous scenery. I was obsessed with their costume dramas of the late 80's, early 90's.
My heart soared as much as it ached throughout as a brief working summer holiday for an older research assistant turns into a love affair with a younger boy just coming to terms with his own sexuality.
Both the main actors are wonderful and embody their roles completely but I want to give a special mention to the actor who played the father and that last scene with his son - it broke me hard and a 'twist' I did not see but became so clear in retrospect.
These type of films, on the surface, never seem to end on a 'happily ever after' but as Elio stares into that fire trying to hold back the tears and in a way burn those feelings of pain, there appears a moment of realisation on his face where he makes the determined decision to not end up like Oliver or indeed his father.
I hope he finds love again