It’s difficult to write about a Film like Call Me By Your Name because in a sense, nothing is really challenging about it. All we are required to do as the audience is watch someone live his life; whether or not any emotional or intellectual growth happens on his or our part is entirely optional. Some films like this are done better than others, but they are all an acquired taste. In this case, Call Me By Your Name feels like a real summer vacation with family friends whom we all may have spent some time with in our lives.
This film is a mere speck of the main character, Elio's, life and his first summer love. I looked at it as a romance, the friend whom I saw it with saw it as a coming-of-age story, and we both saw the cinematography (and Armie Hammer) as colorful and beautiful. Case in point, there is a little something for everybody in here, but I would not be surprised if anyone walked away with a fragment of dissatisfaction. Personally, I thought it was a flawed yet nice time. I suppose not unlike adolescence.
As I said before, the premise of this film is not much on the surface. We follow Timothée Chalamet as Elio, a seventeen year old who is spending the summer with his family in Northern Italy. His father, an anthropologist, hires a college intern for the summer. The intern in question is Oliver played by Armie Hammer (who, side-note, has the most glorious buttocks I have ever seen on an actor. I mean that thing was sculpted by the gods in this movie! But I digress...). Oliver and Elio become friends which blossoms into a brief romance. The romance is not groundbreaking, heartbreaking, or even especially loving. It's the first love most of us have had at some point and the film is surprisingly good at allowing the audience to relive that.
What I have trouble getting past is the Oliver character. He is not an especially likeable character as he is the mid-twenties adult of the scenario taking advantage of an older teenage boy and, to a small degree, playing tug-o-war with Elio's emotions. Take their first kiss for example. Elio has just told Oliver how he feels for the first time. Oliver tells him that they can't be in a relationship for reasons of it's inappropriate to get involved with your boss' offspring. Then in the next scene, the two are sitting by a lake where Oliver kisses Elio for the first time. He then pulls away telling Elio once again that they cannot be in a relationship. Oliver's treatment of Elio resembles that aforementioned series of exchanges throughout the entire movie. To make matters worse, he has no business dating a child, even if the age of consent is fourteen years old in Italy. So the romance was good, but I found one of the participants in said romance to be a bit of a narcissistic jerk.
That being said, the chemistry between the leading boys is still very sweet to watch. They converse realistically, their interactions are charmingly awkward, and even the ending to their relationship is touchingly sad. This brief glimpse into Elio’s life was nothing extraordinary, but it was an experience that he will probably always remember with good reason. There are no big speeches or scandalous acts of desire. It’s the kind of movie that captures your interest in a sneaky way, where you expect to be bored when it begins yet by the end you’re remembering the way your youthful experiences snuck up on you, impacting who you are today. I saw little symbolism yet a ton of beauty, I saw little directorial ego yet a ton of art, and I saw little epic declarations yet a ton of true love among all of the characters.
In terms of its Best Picture Oscar nomination, I would say it is somewhat low on my ranking list. But as a nostalgic experience with some pretty imagery, it was a great one. I’m glad I saw it if for only once in my life and maybe I will even pick up the book later this year. Who knows?
