Our Hearts and Our Bodies Are Only Given To Us Once

Rating: 8/10 (19 April 2018)

Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet) watches his parents (Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar) invite Oliver (Armie Hammer), an intern, into their home. Elio escorts Oliver to a bedroom where Oliver falls asleep till the next day. Over time, a quietly sensual relationship blossoms between these two young men.
Well, I'll never look at peaches the same way again. To be honest, there's a lot to love about this movie. Technically, the film's cinematography is magnificent. In terms of the narrative, it's universal in the depiction of young relationships finding love and sadly heartbreak. But there are extra layers, if anyone decides to revisit the film. For instance, to me, this story is about two individuals (one man is closeted and the other is questioning his sexuality) who find unity with each other in silence. Words don't need to be expressed by them about their longing and passion. Timothee Chalamet is astonishing and Michael Stuhlbarg gives one of the greatest monologues of 2017. All the performances are realistic (almost too realistic).
While I think this film is great , there are some major caveats. This film is drenched in water symbolism. At one moment, Elio and Oliver assist in pulling out a dilapidated statue of Venus (or Aphrodite), the goddess of love, from a body of water and they begin to caress the statue signaling their emerging love. The film took me about 50 minutes to connect with the material because the story is subtle and slow. Elio and Oliver eat, stroll, swim, play volleyball, dance, flirt with women, pull a statue out of a body of water, and ride their bikes for long distances all before their romance starts. And I understand the romance has to blossom in some way, but the film makes me ask many confounding questions. For instance, when does Elio acknowledge an attraction to Oliver (or men in general)? Vise versa for Oliver? Where are the conversations about their longings, fears, past lovers, pleasures, etc? Ultimately, I asked myself, "Does this film ring true?" "Call Me by Your Name" does ring true, it's flawed and misses the mark sometimes, but the film creates an impressive examination of lust, first love, heartbreak, tolerance, and unity.