Beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (19 February 2018)

This film is exceptional. Luca Guadagnino creates a beautiful, nostalgic, dreamlike setting. The New York Times called it a "ravishment of the senses," which is so well said - the lighting, the sounds of the house, smells you might imagine, hot summer air- every sensory element creates a backdrop you feel as if you have experienced.
The development of the relationship between Elio and Oliver is captured beautifully and recreates moments we've all experienced, fostering a familiarity that makes this not a gay love story, but a classic love story.
In the final scene of the film, the audience will feel the intense melancholy Elio is experiencing, while life continues around him. We are reminded in his fathers monologue that this type of sadness can only exist after feeling unimaginable happiness - "Right now there is sorrow and pain, don't kill it, and with it the joy you've felt." Heartbreak is incredibly painful but is also a beautiful reminder of the love we experienced - it is something that deserves to be felt and not repressed, much like this movie, which very much deserves to be felt rather than watched.