Call Me by Your Name is a slow-burning coming-of-age story with bold direction and stunning performances. Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) brings out the best of Armie Hammer (The Social Network) and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar, Lady Bird), with this realistic and yet unique love story. The first half of the film flies by with a clever script that plays Oliver and Elio off of each other perfectly. These two intelligent characters are fun to watch when they are alone and together. As they often try to outsmart each other, they notice their similarities. There is a purity in their relationship that is hard to describe on paper, but Hammer and Chalamet create the relationship with gravitas.
Focusing on passion, the film also uses an interesting soundtrack to progress the storyline. A blend of classical music and modern indie tunes composed by Sufjan Stevens tie character thoughts to the audience perspectives. The characters are deeply intellectual and the music brings us into their world at certain instances. The soundtrack also gives us sweet and haunting melodies to portray the romance that unravels over time.
While I enjoyed this movie, I think that there is a drop-off point between the first and second half. The first half has a fun script that kept me engaged with the characters during my first viewing of the film. However, the second half slows down to focus more on the intimate relationship between Oliver and Elio. We no longer get a good amount of the crisp and engaging commentary from Elio and Oliver, which is what really built their relationship. There is one scene towards the end between Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) that is powerfully written, but aside from that there is a dramatic change in tone for the second half. Yet, there is plenty to enjoy with these characters and I look forward to the Oscar nominations that the film will clinch.
The Bottom Line: Call Me by Your Name is a pure film filled with intimate detail and engaging characters.
Score: 9.3/10
Focusing on passion, the film also uses an interesting soundtrack to progress the storyline. A blend of classical music and modern indie tunes composed by Sufjan Stevens tie character thoughts to the audience perspectives. The characters are deeply intellectual and the music brings us into their world at certain instances. The soundtrack also gives us sweet and haunting melodies to portray the romance that unravels over time.
While I enjoyed this movie, I think that there is a drop-off point between the first and second half. The first half has a fun script that kept me engaged with the characters during my first viewing of the film. However, the second half slows down to focus more on the intimate relationship between Oliver and Elio. We no longer get a good amount of the crisp and engaging commentary from Elio and Oliver, which is what really built their relationship. There is one scene towards the end between Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) that is powerfully written, but aside from that there is a dramatic change in tone for the second half. Yet, there is plenty to enjoy with these characters and I look forward to the Oscar nominations that the film will clinch.
The Bottom Line: Call Me by Your Name is a pure film filled with intimate detail and engaging characters.
Score: 9.3/10
Image credit: By Franz Richter (User:FRZ) - Own work (taken with Nikon D60 SLR), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56267295
