One of the Best Films of the Year!!!

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2018)

"Call Me By Your Name" (Italy 2017) BEAUTIFUL. MOVING. POWERFUL.
Luca Guadagnino, Timothee Chalamet, and Armie Hammer artfully capture the essence of the characters Elio & Oliver from Andre Aciman's novel of sexual awakening, self-identity, first love, and love lost.
The setting for the film couldn't have been more perfect and the cinematography aesthetically captured the feel of a lazy Italian summer. The soundtrack was a mix of lush melodies, classical pieces and 80's pop that blended seamlessly. Kudos to the costume designers as well for totally nailing 1980's style! LOL
The sucess of this film lives or dies on how convincingly Chalamet and Hammer portray the sexual tension that develops between Elio and Oliver....and I have to say they were spot on perfect! Each actor brought the necessary nuances to their respective characters -- Oliver's somewhat brusque confidence compensating for shyness and Elio's insecurities, curiosities and 17-year-old awkwardness. Both were able to speak volumes with a glance, a facial expression, or a subtle body gesture. I was BLOWN AWAY by Chalamet's voiceless performance in the film's final closing minutes -- I felt exactly what he was feeling without a word being uttered.
I will most definitely be seeing this one again (and adding it to my collection once available)! [5/5]
P.S. NOTE that this review is based on the film as a stand alone work of art and not a review on how well the novel was converted into a motion picture. There were some disappointing changes and omissions from the novel...but I do not hold that against the powerfully tragic beauty of the finished product.