"Call Me By Your name" An Award Winning Summer Love Story

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2019)

Call Me By Your Name is a complicated but powerful story filled with emotion and beauty. It addresses two people and the feelings they have for each other in a breathtaking way. It demonstrates how adolescent love can be both adventurous and difficult. The two strong leads equally contribute to the overall impact viewers feel from the beginning to the end of the film. Many films that have male leads fail to embrace the true emotions they feel. This film does the opposite. It shows all of the raw and true emotion that each character feels. At the beginning of the film, I feel like it lacked some context in explaining who Oliver was exactly. Other than that, everything else was clear and thoroughly thought out.
Elio Perlman is a 17 year old boy who spends his summer in Italy with his family. Elio's father invites a graduate student named Oliver to stay with them and to work as an intern. Over the course of the summer, Elio and Oliver begin to explore their relationship and eventually fall in love. With Elio being only 17, he is confused and his emotions are constantly in flux. Elio has been coming to Italy every summer since he can remember. With no responsibilities, Elio is able to take on many hobbies such as music, reading, and biking. He knows his way around town, and many of locals as well. A summer romance with a local girl has been going on, but there is something about Oliver that makes Elio feel a different way with an instant connection.
With the story set in the Lombardy region of northern Italy in the summer, it makes for truly beautiful scenery. I was fascinated by the elegance of the architecture and landscape shown throughout the film. It added to the love story and worry free environment. The scenes of them swimming in the rivers and biking through the city are things that make the film have the charming romance that is does. The shots were stunning and visually pleasing to watch.
Because the film is set in Italy in 1983, same-sex relationships would not be entirely accepted. Elio and Oliver act hesitant to admit that they have feelings for each other. Eventually they do show their feelings and admit to one another. The film does an amazing job at portraying this idea and displaying the situation similarly to how it would be if it was actually during this time period. Another movie that came to mind when analyzing this one, was Love Simon. Both films consist of same-sex relationships that start off being timid and end up being something special with a significant impact on the audience.
Throughout the film, the acting was constantly impressive. Elio, played by Timothée Chalamet performs in such an organic and confident way, which makes viewers even more drawn to the story. Oliver, played by Armie Hammer, perfectly portrays a man who is intelligent, charming, and empathetic towards Elio who is a lot younger than him. Not only is the acting outstanding, but Elio is shown playing the piano and speaking three different languages. The film production and costumes portray the rural part of Italy in the late 1980's exactly.
The soundtrack includes a mix of classical, and subtle italian themed music that incorporates into the film perfectly. The film has a relaxed type of feel, and the music illustrates that in a exceptional way. Being that the whole film was shot with a 35mm camera lens is not only extremely impressive, but allows for the scenes to feel more realistic and effective to the viewers.
The overall story focuses more on the emotional connection between the characters instead of the characters themselves. It embraces the things that come with first love and inevitable heartbreak. The jealousy, the nervous energy, and the sensitivity. The message is executed in such a impactful way. In one of the last scenes of the film, Elio is heart broken after Oliver leaves. His father comforts him and tells him that what him and Oliver had was special. His father responds in such a positive way that makes Elio feel very accepted and loved for who he is. His father tells him how powerful love can be and that he is happy for Elio. This strong connection between a father and son creates such a positive message to the audience. The impact this movie has on viewers is beyond words. The film leaves us with the gorgeous song that Sufjan Stevens wrote which wraps the film up in a brilliant way.