Sensual and Nostalgic Romance Film

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2018)

Call Me By Your Name directed by Luca Guadagnino was a very interesting film to me.
The general plot is that Oliver (Armie Hammer) goes to stay at a northern Italian villa owned by professor Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) and his wife Annella (Amira Casar) to work on his doctorate for the summer. While he is there, he meets Elio (Timothée Chalamet), the 17 year old son of Mr. & Mrs. Perlman. At the beginning, Elio isn't very fond of Oliver and finds him 'arrogant', but soon comes to find that his initial dislike for Oliver is rooted in something much more complex; something that both Elio and Oliver struggle to admit.
The settings are completely gorgeous. I loved the 'feel' of their sets for northern Italy, and it has actually inspired me to potentially visit there some day. There's just something about their quiet and secluded town that I found extremely beautiful.
The acting and script were decent, sometimes average. I wouldn't say the film's acting is horrible, but I wouldn't call it superb either. However, I felt the chemistry and emotion was there when it counted. I thought Timothee Chalamet as Elio was the stand-out performance, and he really made the film for me. Also, this film didn't need superb acting in order to for it to capture my attention. Once I started watching the film, I fell in love with the characters, regardless of acting. If it was BAD acting, THEN I wouldn't be able to get over it. But at the same time, there are so many things in acting, that I would say it is more of the verbal acting that was average, where as the facial expressions, body movement, pacing, etc. was all very good, and it kept me interested in the two main characters, Elio and Oliver.
There wasn't much to the plot ... two men, exploring their sexuality under a shroud of secrecy. I don't think this movie is really one you watch for an intriguing and complex plotline ... it's pretty straight forward, and it's more about the development of a relationship as it pertains to its characters rather than the development of its characters in relation to its plot. I don't know if that really makes sense ... for example, instead of the movie being focused on developing characters independently, this film felt as though we were meant to focus on the growth of the relationship wherein the characters developed with one another. I felt like that direction was correct. It's not like there is NO character development, just that it's not the main focus of the film. Maybe some of you consider their relationship as the plot, which is true, so hopefully you can still understand me.
Overall, I really liked the film. To the point where I shed a single tear - I hardly ever cry, and not even concerning just movies, but life in general. I felt a lot for these characters, especially for Elio. If I wanted to rate the film personally, I would give it a 9/10. But I wanted to rate it somewhat objectively. I read some of the other reviews, and a lot of people didn't really like it. I can understand that. If you don't feel a connection between Elio and Oliver, I don't think you will like the film that much. But if you can find that connection, and if you enjoy looking into the complexities of intimacy and sexuality, you will probably enjoy this film.
I already plan to see it again. It reminded me of Maurice, the novel by E.M Forster, which I adore. This movie is definitely going to be one that I will re-watch over and over again.