Review of Call Me by Your Name (2017) by Markopolous — 21 Dec 2017

. I felt no real chemistry between Armie Hammer’s Oliver and Timothee Chalamet’s Elio. And that’s in spite of a wicked good performance from Chalemet, who is so completely open-hearted and vulnerable in this performance, if not technically perfect.

Truly, one of the best performances I’ve seen by a young man ever. But it’s stranded in a film with a director who doesn’t know how to convey the passion between these two young men (or can’t, due to contractual obligations).

I consistently felt that the camera was in the wrong place and that the pacing was wrong too. Somehow, this adaptation managed to feel boring and drawn out, while also rushing through all of the important moments.

I don’t think Guadanigno really got into the head of his characters, particularly Chalamet, considering the book is really driven by the intensity of his wavering teenage emotions. It really just didn’t feel organic for me, which is too bad because I truly wanted to love this movie.

Yet, I left feeling little emotion, with many of the film’s moments completely vanishing from my memory as I walked out of the theater. Even the film’s last scene, with a heart wrenching performance by Chalamet, seems more like an image I remember out of context than an emotion I feel in my heart.