Call Me By Your Name: An ode to being young, gay and in love

Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 drama centers around a whimsical summer romance between two young men, set in the blissful Italian Toscana of the 1980s. But behind beautiful beaches, infinite sunshine and endless olive trees lies the ever-lingering question: Is it safe to just be who we are?
Story
What message is told?
What makes “Call Me By Yor Name” a good movie?

written by Pius Hartmann

In the summer of 1983, the 17-year-old boy Elio lives a peaceful life with his parents in idyllic Northern Italy. This is when his father, a professor of archeology, decides to invite Oliver, a 24-year-old American grad student, to stay with them over the summer to help him with his paperwork. At first, one has the impression that the calm Elio and the confident Oliver don’t share many similarities, and even when Oliver first implies interest in Elio, the young man doesn’t pursue it. Elio’s attitude changes over time, as they spend more time together by going on bike trips or ice cream dates in the city. After all, temptation and passion arise and they come closer, still hidden from the eyes of others and still unsure what to make of their young love. The story explores their desires and struggles with their sexual identity and their limited time together, as fall is approaching swiftly.

When it comes to deciding on what emotions and messages should be expressed through the movie, the regisseur is the drawing force. In this case, the Italian regisseur Luca Guadagnino stated that he intended to transmit the feeling of an unbiased and uncynical desire, hand in hand with a sense of “joie de vivre”, to live life to the fullest in every moment. This is also the overall vibe the movie possesses, it feels like a collection of warm memories and anecdotes both Elio and Oliver keep to remind themselves of the summer they experienced together, even when the leaves have already fallen from the tree long ago. The movie also shows the importance of being true to oneself instead of trying to suppress one’s feelings and shying away from dealing with unexpected love. A message that appeals to everyone and has universal relevance but is especially relatable for LGBTQ+ audiences.

There is a plethora of reasons which make CMBYN a good and critically acclaimed movie. On one hand, the performances of Timothée Chalamet (Elio) and Armie Hammer (Oliver) are superb, with the former even receiving an nomination in the category “Best Actor” at the Oscars and the Golden Globes. With their talent, they let the viewer fully empathize with the complex sorrows and wishes of their characters. The story is carried by the emotional soundtrack and its secluded, magnificent apolitical setting in Italy of the 1980s, which gives their relationship more time to shine and permits the viewer to be fully encapsulated in the story. Based on a novel with the same name by André Aciman, it even won the Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay”, perfectly outlining that besides the beautiful imagery, the writing doesn’t fall flat at all. Even though CMYBYN is one of my favorite movies, it is by no means enjoyable for me, since recent cannibalism accusations against Armie Hammer came up, the age gap between the lovers is big and I can’t possibly enjoy a movie which leaves me with a gut-wrenching feeling and tears after every watch.