By Izzy Mach
The film Call Me by Your Name is Luca Guadginos’ adaptation of the book Call Me by Your Name written by André Aciman in 2007. This coming-of-age story is set “somewhere in northern Italy” in 1983 and features Elio, (Timothee Chalamet) a 17-year-old boy, and his parents in their summer home. Oliver, (Armie Hammer) a 24-year-old student from America, is staying with them. The story follows their summer and the growing relationship between the two boys. Elio, trying to figure out his sexuality, tells Oliver he likes him. Worried he might ruin Elio, Oliver spaces himself from Elio.
Elio then turns to having a relationship with a girl. One night Oliver and Elio finally talk and makeup and that turns into the start of their “more than friends” relationship. Spending the rest of the summer together Elio and Oliver then take a trip together to Bergamo for the last few days. Oliver then returns home to America and Elio is left heartbroken. But that’s not the end of the movie there is a big event to come that changes everything.
The film had a budget of 3.5 million dollars and made 28.2 million at the box office. Call Me by Your Name was selected to be a part of the top ten movies of the year by the National Board Review and the American Film Institute. Rated R, this movie has a lot of nudity but personally not too much for a teenager. The duration of the film is 1 hour and 32 minutes.This is not a fast-paced film for those looking for a movie to get straight to the point. It was first shown at Sundance in January but came out in the United States in November. It’s also not a “popular movie” so to speak because it played at my local theater months after it came out and only was there for four days.
From the acting to the beautiful cinematography, this movie is now my favorite and I recommend this strongly to someone who has an open mind about homosexuality and romance.