Forbidden love, heartbreak and strong family values filled this terrific film

Rating: 9/10 (30 November 2017)

Relative unknown Director Luca Guadagnino ("A Bigger Splash" 2015) has hit the movie jackpot with this at times painstakingly slow moving storyline that ultimately proves a backdrop for forbidden love, heartbreak and strong family values. While Awards talk is high across the board for actors Armie Hammer ("The Social Network") and Timothy Chalamet ("Lady Bird") - especially his final scene in the film, the breakout performance (in my book) here is Michael Stuhlbarg (TV's "Fargo") who embodies the soul of a thoughtful and honest father, and who delivers one of this years best end of film monologues - kudos to writer James Ivory for these final words of self revelation and wisdom. Also standing out in this film is French actress Esther Garrel ("17 Girls"), who graciously walks the line of the young women on the outside. As beautiful as the film develops into, the heart of film really doesn't get started until the proverbial fruit is pulled from the tree. Yes, cinematography (Sayombhu Mukdeeprom) sets the carefree warm summer Italian villa mood, and Ivory's story about this educationally astute family is appealing, but I wanted more of everything at a faster pace. Not to be missed here is the films score, written by Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, featuring amazing songs by Sufjan Stevens. There is a lot of great emotion within this terrific film, especially towards the end, so stick with it.