"Is it better to speak or to die?"

Rating: 7/10 (3 February 2018)

Isn't it ironic that in the same year the entertainment industry melts down over allegations of sexual misconduct by it's movers and shakers, we have a film nominated for numerous awards in which one of the principal characters engages in a sexual relationship with a minor. I'm simply stunned by the blatant hypocrisy that exists in a society that can't get enough sex in it's entertainment, and then is appalled when it happens in real life. When will we get some consistency?
I'm also stunned by more than a handful of reviews here that extol the beauty of the relationship that developed between seventeen year old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and twenty four year old graduate student Oliver (Armie Hammer). And with the apparent knowledge and consent of Elio's parents! The wonder of it all is that the film is wrapped in a sublime package of vibrant color and dashing provincial Italian life, and who wouldn't extol in the brilliant sun filled days of love and romance with a European back drop.
Personally, the sight of Elio attempting to engage Oliver in a moment of wild abandon looked more to me like a frog trying to gain purchase on a slippery tree leaf. It looked just plain embarrassing to me if not downright comical. Look, I try to be as tolerant as possible with what passes for entertainment today, and I guess this resonates for a lot of movie watchers who admire a sympathetic treatment of gay relationships. But wouldn't it be something if ten years from now, actor Chalamet comes forward with his own tale of sexual exploitation in order to advance his career. It wouldn't surprise me a bit.