Welcome back to the Oscar Film Journal, here at Enuffa.com! We're back in the 20-teens for this one...
Today it's the 2017 romantic drama Call Me By Your Name, starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, directed by Luca Guadagnino, and written by James Ivory (who directed A Room With a View), from the novel by André Aciman. CMBYN is the story of two young men who meet in 1980s Italy and reluctantly fall in love over the span of a summer. Chalamet plays Elio, a precocious 17-year-old living with his parents. His father invites one of his grad students, the 24-year-old Oliver (Hammer) to stay with them for the season. Elio and Oliver initially don't seem to get along well but slowly they develop an almost brotherly bond, which gives way to an unspoken attraction. Elio is the first to broach the subject but Oliver is reluctant to pursue anything, fearing the social implications. Eventually the two give in to their feelings and share a very intense but sad romance in the short time remaining before Oliver has to return to the US.
The film really takes its time building the rapport between these two characters, and Elio tries to distract himself by hooking up with Marzia, a girl who lives nearby, whom he's known for years. But the emotional attachment to Oliver is too strong and by the time they finally get together it feels like a proper payoff. The first half is a very slow burn but the second feels all the more earned for it (Something I felt was very much lacking in A Room With a View). There's also nothing fancy about the visuals or the storytelling (a few dreamlike moments aside); the film has a very naturalistic feel that reminded me of 80s period drama. Elio and Oliver's relationship is handled with a sexual frankness that somehow doesn't veer into lurid territory.
Both performances are very internalized but Chalamet and Hammer convey so much in the pauses and with body language. Chalamet especially has become incredibly adept at saying it all non-verbally; the film's final shot is a masterclass in emotive face acting. One supporting performance doesn't get a chance to shine until very late in the film, that of Michael Stuhlbarg as Elio's father, who steals the show with a tender, heartfelt speech about how love and emotion must be allowed to be felt completely and unguarded. All throughout the story Elio's parents seem oblivious to what's going on, but Stulbarg's monologue reveals the father to be much more perceptive and supportive than we were led to believe.
CMBYN is a poignant romantic drama boasting two excellent leads and an unexpected pair of truly memorable moments toward the end of the film. I found the titular gimmick of each of the young men calling each other by their own names a little goofy, but aside from that, this is a fine film.
I give CMBYN ***1/2 out of ****.
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