Here comes an really romantic lovestory

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2018)

Wow, that's some poetic stuff right there. "Call Me by Your Name" is my new favorite movie of 2017. Yes, I liked the story about two young men falling in love in 1980's picturesque small Italian town more than any other movie released in 2017, if I have to choose one.
It's like an antidote for my previous favorite, "Loveless". Whereas the Russian drama is a bleak study of modern man having lost the ability to love, hence living without the hope, "Call Me" is about the possibility of finding hope thanks to love... Maybe the first time, maybe once again, it doesn't matter.
It's not technically perfect. Just like "Loveless", the last chapter of the story would benefit from a trimming, there's more content than is strictly necessary. But all in all, the result wonderful. Love it!
So, what's all the fuss about young men being gay to each other? Firstly, the movie looks just strikingly gorgeous, thus making it attractive for the widest possible audience.
They have also efficiently used Steven Sufjans's new songs which, perhaps fleeting, ephemeral and not that original on their own, work extremely well in the context of the movie, adding the tender story an extra layer of magic.
But it's not all about looking good and artsy, "Call Me" is superbly written, the original novel by André Aciman was adapted by the director Luca Guadagnino himself and James Ivory who you may remember as the costume drama master of some 20-30 years ago ("Howard's End", "The Remains of the Day" et al). I would not be surprised if much of the movie's delicacy and subtleness owe thanks to Ivory's experience.
Anyway, the writing. It's not just a story. They have used the most difficult "format" of screen storytelling available, which turns the result even more a triumph.
And the format is what I like to call "state of the mind movie". Meaning the emphasis is not so much on events but the main characters, especially the state of the mind they are in. Everything flows through that.
This approach can easily alienate audience if they are not in the right mood, or especially if they have not experienced the same state of mind yourself - hope through love, in this case.
But if you are able to hop on the train, so to speak, the story opens up as ripe and delicious peach, and the beauty of the play may transcend you for some time. This kind of magic is why cinema was born for!
Of course, the gay thing may alienate people too. But I am sure the easily offended would stop viewing long before the physical intimacy scenes occur, which are well done too, actually. They are so intimate that I felt a mild discomfort by watching. Both leading men are straight, by the way, although they have great chemistry on screen.
In the beginning, I mentioned the work being poetic. This calls for elaborating in further detail because the visual side - just how everything looks - is an important character on its own.
For lack of a better term, there's something extremely natural about how everything is, in the air, how the people move and talk. I am talking about this pure state of "here and now-ness" which makes it easy to you kind of live in the movie, linger in its atmosphere, not just watch it. ("Loveless" also exhibits this quite rare quality, by the way.)
The location also strengthens the illusion of being transported to another world - the early 80's Italian countryside, where there are no PC-s, phones, screens everywhere. There's more time for everything, to exist, just notice the world around you. The sense of place and time is stunning, thus giving the movie an unique meditative feel.
The tension between young lovers also adds a lot of intrigue and tension in the air. Many moments and places, limited as they are in the real world, seem to expand and stretch to forever. It's like your best memory of being still young and relatively carefree, brought to screen!
Oscar nominations are not announced yet, here's what I would like to see: Hammer and Chamelet as the actors, Stuhlbarg as the supporting actor, best movie, best director, best adapted screenplay, best song (Steven Sufjans, "Mystery of Love").
"Call Me" was nominated for three Golden Globes as well - best movie / drama, Chamelet as the best actor, best Hammer as the best supporting actor - but did not win any. A shame.
There's also a sequel planned, I kid you not. I am not sure the experience so unique can be done again. But the director and the two leading men are on board, so let's give this a benefit of a doubt, eh?