Review: Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Love is truly beautiful; Call Me by Your Name is no exception to that. Stories like these can often be a drag with little-to-no substance, but we are treated to a captivating, emotional journey. One you should tag along for.

+ Recommended - R, Drama

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Love is truly beautiful; Call Me by Your Name is no exception to that. Stories like these can often be a drag with little-to-no substance, but we are treated to a captivating, emotional journey. One you should tag along for.

Oliver (Armie Hammer) travels to Italy in 1983 to assist Professor Perlman, played by Michael Stuhlbarg (The Shape of Water), in his research. When young Elio (Timothée Chalamet) realizes his father's assistant desires more than just his friendship, he has to navigate his sexuality and subsequently, deal with the problems that arise in the given situation. With such an interesting premise, it's easy to recognize the stakes that are involved.

Call Me by Your Name's beauty lies in the vibrant scenery and the lively character traits of Elio and Oliver. The supporting cast succeeds in creating the tight bonds and the "family and friend" dynamic of this country. It's refreshing to have a main-stream viewing experience where the male characters are written to act with some level of gender fluidity. I'm not necessarily saying that the characters are non-binary, but rather, more accepting of non-traditional male traits. For instance, one scene has Elio and his father splashing around in the water with Oliver; a scene that stuck with me even after the credits rolled. I want to see more of this.

One point I wanted to touch on was the length of the film. I happened to watch Phantom Thread 30 minutes before this movie started and the 2 hours spent during that film flew by, and by the time Call Me by Your Name ended, I was fatigued. This was most likely because I watched too many movies (in total about 5 hours). If Phantom Thread had one of my favorite movie scenes of 2017, then Call Me by Your Name has my favorite end-credit sequence of 2017. So the question remains, should you see this movie? Of course you should. It's a cultural staple for reasons beyond its relevance in society. It does deserve that $10 if you can spare it.

Check out the trailer here.