Pop Culture Thoughts

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2018)

One of the most rewarding, lyrical romances I've seen in a long time, "Call Me By Your Name" is the type of highly-praised cinematic fare that manages to be even better than its reputation suggests. Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer are extraordinary in their respective roles, each entering into their tentative romance from different angles yet managing to meet in the middle in an entirely believable manner and selling every bit of the movie's excellent screenplay by James Ivory. The story takes its time unraveling and the viewer is left to enjoy the beautiful northern Italy setting, while the central romance gradually blossoms and eventually enraptures the viewer. Hammer has the showy role and he's perfectly cast as a casually confident American graduate student, but it's Chalamet whose measured performance elevates the entire production.