How a Small Indie Movie Received an Oscar
By: Indie Film Club
Tags: Film Analysis, Call Me By Your Name, Film Reviews, Movies, Indie Film

This screenplay, written and co-produced by James Ivory, is based on André Aciman’s novel Call Me by Your Name, which was released in 2007. The movie was directed by Luca Guadagnino and starred Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer.

What was intended to be a small indie movie, with a budget of $3.5 million, turned out to become a huge hit, generating close to $42 million in box office sales. Moreover, the movie received countless nominations, as well as three Oscar nominations, of which James Ivory won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Today, we will be discussing the movie’s plot, so let’s get started.

The movie jumps right into the moment when Oliver arrives, giving the viewer very little insight into what is happening and what Oliver is doing at the Perlman residence. Their relationships develops very quickly, as the two start to spend a lot of time together.

Sexual Intimacy

Sexual intimacy plays a big role in this movie, as we not only get to see Elio sleep with Marzia and Oliver, but see Elio masturbate on two occasions. Some of the interactions might seem a bit cringy to watch, e.g. when Elio licks Oliver’s lips during their first kiss, but these scenes show the playfulness the two have, as well as the awkwardness most teens feel when they experience their first intimate moments.

The Journal

Another important scene is Elio’s journal scene. While it is very short, we get a pretty good insight into Elio’s mind, as he writes sentences like ‘I was too harsh’ and ‘I thought he didn’t like me’. It shows that he realised that he might have been ‘too harsh’ towards Oliver and that he in fact didn’t think Oliver liked him — which is probably why he was so cold towards him, trying to protect himself.

The Tale of the Knight

The tale of the knight having to choose between speaking or dying, relates closely to Elio and his relationship to Oliver. Both of them are contemplating whether or not to speak up about their feelings, or to keep them hidden and, while not die, be very unhappy. The tale also talks about friendship hindering love, which is what the two fear — will confessing their feelings ruin their friendship?

At the Plaza

While the plaza scene is one of the most important scenes, it is probably alos one of the most ambiguous ones in terms of dialogue. As a viewer, it felt like I had missed out on a large part of the movie, being unsure as to what they were saying or referring to. This ambiguity was certainly a choice, as the dialogue includes sentences such as ‘Are you saying what I think you are saying?’.

The Love between Elio and his Father

Lastly, we have to talk about the heartwarming scene between Elio and his father at the end of the movie. Interestingly, throughout the entire scene of Elio coming out to his dad, Elio doesn’t actually say a word. His dad is the one initiating and leading this conversation, all in a kind, honest and respectful way.

However, I wonder why Samuel said that Annella wouldn’t know about the two, as I got the feeling that she actually knew for a while, even suggesting that Elio should join Oliver on his final few days, giving them some time together.

Regardless, this scene just shows the unconditional love that parents have for their children and to see this acceptance is just beautiful…making it hard to not shed a tear.

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This concludes our first discussion on Call Me by Your Name. I hope you enjoyed it and make sure to comment what you liked most about the movie.

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I wish you all a lovely day.