Italy, summer of 1 9 8 3. Teenager Elio has to make room in the house for the arrival of older American student Oliver who was invited by Elio's dad, an archaeology professor for scholarly research. Initially distant, Elio is slowly intruiged by Oliver's literacy and knowledge. At a trip to the countryside, Oliver and Elio kiss. Elio has sex with girl Marzia in the attic, but later on has secret sex with Oliver in his room at midnight. Later on, Marzia is disappointed Elio hasn't contacted her. Dad talks Elio and Oliver into spending the last three days by hanging out together in another city. Oliver departs via a train. Elio is devastated by his absence. Later, Oliver phones to inform him that he is engaged to a woman.
A gentle, sophisticated romantic drama which seems like a gay version of "Brief Encounter", "Call Me by Your Name" received critical recognition which is almost proportional to its actual quality. Not only is it a story about sexual awakening of its hero, teenager Elio (excellent Timothee Chalamet), but also about the discovery of one's gay side, since the screenwriter James Ivory inserted several authentic biographical elements from his own life experience. While the story is simplistic and banal at times, and some more intricate directing or plot planning would have been welcomed, "Call Me by Your Name" has a genuinely emotional and intimate little story to tell, which is able to slowly absorb the viewers. Some of the Italian landscapes are highly aesthetic (Cascate del Serio waterfall), whereas several moments have spark: in one of them, after a long absence between them, Elio writes a poetic letter to Oliver, who writes him a direct response: "Grow up. Wait for me at midnight." Elio isn't idealised, nor is he always right in his decisions. One naughty moment has an anxious Elio lying in bed, carving up a hole in a peach, and then lowering it under his underwear to masturbate inside it. And there is a subplot of Elio having sex with girl Marizia in the attic (lower importance) and later with Oliver in his room (higher importance), to show that he neglected and cheated on her. After a devastating parting of ways, a deeply saddened Elio is comforted by his father who gives one of the most wise, untypical and remarkable outbursts:"We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything... what a waste." Despite a rather vague and familiar ending, the movie has power and artistic value.
Grade:+++
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