Review of Call Me by Your Name (2017) by Jrjrjj K — 18 Nov 2017

THE CHARM OFFENSIVE - My Review of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (4 Stars).

Sometimes the context in which a film is released can color one's perception of it. With the spate of sexual assault and harassment allegations in recent months, it's almost impossible not to see CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, the new feature from director Luca Guadagnino (A BIGGER SPLASH) and writer James Ivory based on the novel by Andre Aciman through that lens. The story of a 17-year-old boy's 1983 summer of love with a 24-year-old man can't help but have a whiff of pedophilia about it, despite the fact that the age of consent in Italy, where the story takes place, is 14. Perhaps, in years to come, where the film is allowed a separation from its year of release, people may discover a film of uncommon naturalness and grace, despite the ever-present creep factor.

Timothée Chalamet (LADY BIRD, MISS STEVENS) plays Elio Perlman, who spends the summer in Northern Itay with his parents. His father, played by the remarkable Michael Stuhlbarg (A SERIOUS MAN) is an arts professor who each year hosts a research assistant at their villa. In walks Oliver (Armie Hammer) as that assistant, with his movie star looks and Connecticut Country Club vibe. When he's not reviewing slides of naked male torsos with Professor Perlman, Oliver gets a guided bike tour by Elio of the quaint village. They develop a sweet friendship, with either barely seeming to feel attraction for the other in the film's first half.

It's a very slow, Euro style buildup, reminiscent to me of the languorous rhythms of Vittorio de Sica's 1970 classic, THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS. It's a glorious, sun-dripped piece of filmmaking, filled with slightly missed connections and an incredible representation of a young man's first times. Chalamet truly sells the guileless charms of his first sexual encounter with a woman, his long-time friend Marzia (Esther Garrel). The frankness of the sexuality here includes his delirious reaction to the sex and a visible erection under his pants when they make out, and truly harkens back to a style of European cinema we don't get enough of anymore. It's not that we lack sex and nudity in films, it's the believable push-pull, the unapologetic attraction seen here that feels refreshing.

Once Elio and Oliver start to connect, the film enters its ravishing realm. The care taken with the beats of touching each other, or watching each other pass through their shared bathroom, feels like a connection I haven't seen before. Chalamet and Hammer are fantastic actors, and clearly they worked hard to make this connection work, but the issues I had with the film kept intruding on a splendid piece of filmmaking. Casting is such an important process, and I have no doubt that Guadagnino saw that indefinable something when these two got together. All of this is undeniable. The problem, for me, is that their physical presence makes this a hard sell. Chalamet, with his skinny frame, looks way younger than 17 while Hammer, a tall hunk of a man, looks many years older than 24. This serves to widen the age gap past the point of it being "ok". Despite the fact that Elio initially acts as the aggressor, with Oliver demuring, it just doesn't look right. I'm not saying that people in their late teens don't have sexual desires and experiences. I'm not even saying it's illegal in the film. It's not. I'm simply talking about my reaction to their vast physical differences. I can't even say Guadagnino should have landed on different actors. Perhaps chemistry trumps everything. My struggle, however, almost took me out of the film at times.

Luckily, there's so much that's great. For those who like a moody, slow film with great care paid to the subtle details of human interaction, this will feel like a treasure trove. There's also a monologue by Stuhlbarg guaranteed to break your heart. Many will talk about the soon-to-be-famous peach scene, literally dripping with sensuality, but my jaw dropped when Stulbarg's beautiful words and stunning vulnerability held the screen for a scene which puts the entire story in a whole new context.

Many will call this a gay love story, but, in reality, the characters are bisexuals, active ones. It's a unique look at the subject, with both Elio and Oliver feeling what they feel one moment, and feeling something else in another. I bought it.

The lyrical way Guadagnino tells this story gets a great assist by cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who creates such a vivid sense of place and time. The scene in which Oliver dances with a woman beside a car parked in the town square feels so 80s without overplaying its hand. The use of "Love My Way" by the Psychedelic Furs couldn't be more perfect. This is a film, where bit by bit, we feel the impact Oliver has on Elio. It's written across his face in one extended shot. Sure, this is yet another coming-of-age film, but we truly come to understand how this relationship will impact the lives of its characters. Some will see past the inherent problems with the film, while others are sure to throw this in with our Spacey/Weinstein cultural moment and dismiss it, perhaps unfairly. Either way, I have a feeling people will look back at this film in 20 years as a cinematic landmark of sorts.