Ignore the landscape the movie is set in - the beautiful Italian streets, the cars, and the idyllic villa that is at the center of the story, or you ignore how cool the 80's were - with the nonchalant vibe and quite essentially the "chill scenes". Go ahead and ignore the setting in which the poignant love story between two guys plays out.
But the thing is you can't.
That's how it is in the Oscar nominated movie Call Me By Your Name; you will not be able to ignore anything about the movie because nothing escapes you...and nor does it scream for attention. And that is the beauty of this movie, the subtle way it seeps into your heart.
The story of Elio (Timothee Chalamet), a 17 year old boy spending the summer with his parents in the Italian countryside, falling slowly and softy for Oliver (Armie Hammer), the strapping young fellow who comes to spend the summer to help his father with his archaeological study, is not just a love story between two men. It is also a coming of age story of a young man who realizes a different facet of his personality, and then goes on you deal with the love and the pain that comes along with it (a little too soon but then that's summer romance for you).
Ask anyone who has read the book which the movie is based on and they will tell you that the portrayal of some scenes is very different from what Andre Aciman wrote in his book (yes we are talking about the love making scenes). But what director Luca Guadagnino does with his picturization is make it far more elegant, maybe poetic...but removed from it the raw emotion of passion and sex.
But the movie peaks near the end when, after Oliver leaves for home, Elio is left to deal with a heartbreak that he didn't know the nuances of. But that doesn't stop him from dealing with it anyway. In what can be called a massive highlight of the movie, Elio's father (Michael Stuhlbarg) shared with him his thoughts on the connections we make in the process of loving people. And how, even if these connections are transient and going to end, they deserve to be cherished and not regretted.
The tragedy of love is that, most of the times, it has a habit of leaving. And with that fear in heart, it may become hard for two people to enjoy the romance of it all. But Call Me By Your Name, is a standing tale of finding love, realizing it, and then losing it - twice. The final scene where Elio grieves, has a nuanced beauty to it, brought to you by Chalamet's fantastic craft. Elio's expressions, tears and smile by the fireplace give away every feeling of pain of losing Oliver, of grieving the loss of love, and then a celebration of the experience anyway.
There is much to be said about the Perlmans as a set of parents who love their son; they not only embrace who he is as a person but also help him pave the way to self-discovery. That is not something you get to see often when it movies dealing with the LGBTQ community. Take note, Bollywood.
There is no knowing which movie will bag the Oscars this Sunday. But that notwithstanding, Call Me By Your Name is going to remain one of the few poignant movies of our times, one that stays with you long after the seasons pass.
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