Better than expected

Rating: 6/10 (19 September 2018)

Italy, 1983. Elio, the 17-year-old son of an academic finds himself attracted to his father's research assistant, Oliver.
I was expecting this to be your usual schmaltzy, predictable romantic drama, just with a same-sex couple. However, it is better than that.
The scene-setting and plot development are good and the characters engaging. There's a nice ebb and flow to the build-up to the relationship. Great scenery and cinematography too.
Unfortunately, the groundwork is negated to an extent by the last third or so of the movie, where it does become a fairly standard romantic drama. The conclusion is not overly profound nor original either.
Overall, watchable but it seemed headed for something more powerful and profound.