Call Me By Your Name - Review |
30/01/18
|
This intimate, subtle and slow film directed by Luca Guadagnino became an international phenomenon and the first film by an Italian director that has been nominated for an Oscar since La Vita é Bella, in 1999. We’re looking closer at this atypical coming of age tale and finding out if it truly deserves all the acclaim.
Call Me By Your Name, the new film directed by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent story about first love, based on the acclaimed novel of the same title by André Aciman. It is, indeed, a film woven from literature. Full of almost academic iconography and classic books read by the characters during the long, warm evenings. The literature is almost a separate chapter and character in itself. Guadagnino transports us into a small town, ‘somewhere in Italy, 1983’. 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) spends his holidays in an Italian mansion owned by his parents. He dedicates his time to composing music, playing with friends while innocently flirting with his French friend, Marzia. Everything changes when an American scholarship student, Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives to assist Elio’s father, Mr. Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) with his archaeological work. Over time, the distance that initially appeared between the men begins to diminish and becomes instead a precious, life changing relationship for both of them.
What is so special about Guadagnino’s film is the fact that it doesn't try to forcefully fit into the queer or coming of age genre. It emphasises the world of small details that require time to be noticed and appreciated. The feelings between Elio and Oliver grow slowly and effortlessly like an Italian dinner enjoyed on a summer night. It makes us want to take a bicycle trip to town with the characters, to swim with them on the river and drink fresh pineapple juice. Call Me By Your Name opens with photographs of antique sculptures contrasted with opening titles reminding us of handwritten inscriptions. It perfectly sets up the tone and theme of the film. The undeniable, timeless beauty of muscular male bodies and the rich background of European culture on the one hand, and an intimate note or an entry in a journal on the other. Because the film is, in fact, like Elio’s diary, emphasised by the camera always being on the side of the boy. That leads us to the poignant soundtrack that acts as narrator too by illustrating the emotional states of Elio. It is a mixture of various songs and tunes, from classical to nostalgic 80’s tracks. There are also two original melodies composed by Sufjan Steven. The most soul wrenching is the one used at the end of the film, during the credit sequence. Heartbroken Elio, almost like Antoine from The 400 Blows, looks straight into the camera with the song playing on the background: “I have loved you for the last time, is it a video?” It is truly one of the most perfect endings I've ever seen on the screen.
From the very beginning we are confronted with the high dosage of Italian dolce vita in combination with the sensual atmosphere. The sweaty, linen shirts and wet naked bodies make us almost feel and smell and touch the eroticism of the film. The fact that the sculpture that Elio’s father finds in the sea is the one of Hammer is also significant. Mr. Perlman discusses the beauty and dynamism of shapes designed by the sculptor and they send a clear signal: "look at me." He might as well be talking about his doctoral student to whom his son is attracted to. Interestingly, the camera celebrates the statuesque Hammer in a way that cinema reserves only for women. On the other hand, the lack of explicit sex scenes in the film make the relationship between two men almost sacred. Well, there is of course ‘the peach scene’ in which Elio carves the centre of the fruit and masturbates with it but it is still more metaphorical than vulgar. Especially because before Oliver eats it, the boy burst into tears. The symbolism of forbidden fruit is very clear. Moreover, Call Me By Your Name tells the story of love, which contains the element of violence and in which power is not perfectly in balance. When Oliver touches Elia while playing volleyball, he perceives it as an invasion, he feels patronised and mocked. The boy, however, plays with the feelings of his female friend - not entirely consciously, not entirely premeditated, but still… Guadagnino talks about the power of impulses that are sometimes destructive, even self-destructive. It is no coincidence that Oliver expresses the fear of sating his indomitable appetite several times in the film. He knows that pain and loss are waiting behind the horizon. The problem is that he also knows something else: that sometimes it's worth it. The nature of Elio’s family unit is one of the most remarkable aspects of the film. The erudition, open-mindedness and versatility of Elio’s parents seems to be as refreshing as the Italian fruits. Therefore, there is no typical ‘coming out’ moment in Call Me By Your Name. Elio’s father is aware of the nature of his relationship with Oliver throughout the film. He's there, observing but not judging, and not forcing the confessions. The final speech he gives to his son is one of the most memorable in cinema history, reminding us of Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. Call Me By Your Name is absolutely best film that I have seen for a long time. I can’t imagine anything more perfect, heart- and soul-warming for long winter nights. It takes us on a journey of self-discovery, in which we delude ourselves, break our hearts, break someone else’s heart, learn from our mistakes but then…try again.
Wiser and stronger.
by Paulina
Call Me By Your Name, the new film directed by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent story about first love, based on the acclaimed novel of the same title by André Aciman. It is, indeed, a film woven from literature. Full of almost academic iconography and classic books read by the characters during the long, warm evenings. The literature is almost a separate chapter and character in itself. Guadagnino transports us into a small town, ‘somewhere in Italy, 1983’. 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) spends his holidays in an Italian mansion owned by his parents. He dedicates his time to composing music, playing with friends while innocently flirting with his French friend, Marzia. Everything changes when an American scholarship student, Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives to assist Elio’s father, Mr. Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) with his archaeological work. Over time, the distance that initially appeared between the men begins to diminish and becomes instead a precious, life changing relationship for both of them.
What is so special about Guadagnino’s film is the fact that it doesn't try to forcefully fit into the queer or coming of age genre. It emphasises the world of small details that require time to be noticed and appreciated. The feelings between Elio and Oliver grow slowly and effortlessly like an Italian dinner enjoyed on a summer night. It makes us want to take a bicycle trip to town with the characters, to swim with them on the river and drink fresh pineapple juice. Call Me By Your Name opens with photographs of antique sculptures contrasted with opening titles reminding us of handwritten inscriptions. It perfectly sets up the tone and theme of the film. The undeniable, timeless beauty of muscular male bodies and the rich background of European culture on the one hand, and an intimate note or an entry in a journal on the other. Because the film is, in fact, like Elio’s diary, emphasised by the camera always being on the side of the boy. That leads us to the poignant soundtrack that acts as narrator too by illustrating the emotional states of Elio. It is a mixture of various songs and tunes, from classical to nostalgic 80’s tracks. There are also two original melodies composed by Sufjan Steven. The most soul wrenching is the one used at the end of the film, during the credit sequence. Heartbroken Elio, almost like Antoine from The 400 Blows, looks straight into the camera with the song playing on the background: “I have loved you for the last time, is it a video?” It is truly one of the most perfect endings I've ever seen on the screen.
From the very beginning we are confronted with the high dosage of Italian dolce vita in combination with the sensual atmosphere. The sweaty, linen shirts and wet naked bodies make us almost feel and smell and touch the eroticism of the film. The fact that the sculpture that Elio’s father finds in the sea is the one of Hammer is also significant. Mr. Perlman discusses the beauty and dynamism of shapes designed by the sculptor and they send a clear signal: "look at me." He might as well be talking about his doctoral student to whom his son is attracted to. Interestingly, the camera celebrates the statuesque Hammer in a way that cinema reserves only for women. On the other hand, the lack of explicit sex scenes in the film make the relationship between two men almost sacred. Well, there is of course ‘the peach scene’ in which Elio carves the centre of the fruit and masturbates with it but it is still more metaphorical than vulgar. Especially because before Oliver eats it, the boy burst into tears. The symbolism of forbidden fruit is very clear. Moreover, Call Me By Your Name tells the story of love, which contains the element of violence and in which power is not perfectly in balance. When Oliver touches Elia while playing volleyball, he perceives it as an invasion, he feels patronised and mocked. The boy, however, plays with the feelings of his female friend - not entirely consciously, not entirely premeditated, but still… Guadagnino talks about the power of impulses that are sometimes destructive, even self-destructive. It is no coincidence that Oliver expresses the fear of sating his indomitable appetite several times in the film. He knows that pain and loss are waiting behind the horizon. The problem is that he also knows something else: that sometimes it's worth it. The nature of Elio’s family unit is one of the most remarkable aspects of the film. The erudition, open-mindedness and versatility of Elio’s parents seems to be as refreshing as the Italian fruits. Therefore, there is no typical ‘coming out’ moment in Call Me By Your Name. Elio’s father is aware of the nature of his relationship with Oliver throughout the film. He's there, observing but not judging, and not forcing the confessions. The final speech he gives to his son is one of the most memorable in cinema history, reminding us of Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. Call Me By Your Name is absolutely best film that I have seen for a long time. I can’t imagine anything more perfect, heart- and soul-warming for long winter nights. It takes us on a journey of self-discovery, in which we delude ourselves, break our hearts, break someone else’s heart, learn from our mistakes but then…try again.
Wiser and stronger.
by Paulina
