A Sensual, Coming of Age Awakening

Rating: 9/10 (3 April 2018)

Call Me By Your Name depicts the blossoming romance between a 17-year-old teen, Elio (Timothy Chalamet) and his father's older research assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer), against the gorgeous, colorful backdrop of Northern Italy during the 1980s. But it's much more than a simple romantic film about a gay couple; Call Me by Your Name is a sensual film that depicts the universal sexual awakening all adolescents experience when growing up. It's a film that so beautifully captures the intense sensuality of this critical period of our lives, and, in effect, becomes wholly relatable in the most subtle way. The film is also a beautiful coming of age film as Elio struggles with embracing his identity and its stigma, juxtaposed against the older Oliver's hardened experience and slight disillusionment with his own.
The film uses its slow burn pacing to build up the relationships and sexual tension between Elio and Oliver, using its incredible screenplay to build an intellectual and emotional connection between them. The smart and deep dialogue between Elio and Oliver beautifully captures their complementary knowledge in music, the arts, and history, establishing an enriching and beautiful relationship between the two. The subtle body language conveyed by the actors as well as the implicit dialogue lets the sensual romance between them blossom naturally before it climaxes into a full embrace of their feelings.
Elio's relationship with Oliver is compared to that between him and Marzi, Elio's female love interest. While their relationship is meant to contrast with Elio-Oliver's relationship and emphasizes Elio's desires to be with Oliver, Elio and Marzi's relationship is given the same treatment and helps the audience journey through Elio's sexual awakening as an adolescent. Guadagnino's dreamlike direction evokes that sense of isolation, curiosity, and pure sensuality that comes with this process of growing up, adding significant meaning and emotion to the relatively explicit scenes, both on and off camera.
No matter what your orientation is, Call Me By Your Name is a film that anyone can find relatable. With a dreamy, piano-laden soundtrack of assorted Impressionistic pieces and a smooth, dreamlike directorial style, Call Me By Your Name perfectly captures the complex sexual spark of adolescence and sensuality, and captivates its audiences with elements of a coming of age story and same-sex relationship to heighten the dramatic elements in this beautiful work of art.