Why You Should Watch “Call Me By Your Name”!
Every year, around the time of the Oscars, you are inundated by film recommendations and lists of the year’s best films that you “simply must watch,” but let’s face it you rarely will. While I really don’t want to be that person who insists you watch a film that was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Actor and winning for Best Adapted Screenplay), when it comes to “Call Me By Your Name,” I really have to!
Set in the 1980s, in northern Italy where it was filmed, “Call Me By Your Name” is a classic summer romance. 17-year-old Elio (played by Timothée Chalamet) spends his time transcribing music and hanging out with his friends before the arrival of his academic father’s latest PhD student Oliver (Armie Hammer). The two start a relationship which unlike most films with a gay love story, isn’t fraught with tragedies such as the AIDS crisis or an unaccepting family – in fact, Elio’s father (Michael Stuhlberg) offers some of the most sound advice about love and heartbreak ever offered on screen. Of course, Elio and Oliver’s romance must come to an end once summer is over – as all good summer romances do – but it offers a beautifully poignant picture of first love.
The chemistry between the two actors is unbelievably realistic (“Charmie” as they’re known are even being shipped by some fans) and Luca Guadagnino’s directing as well as the cinematography leave you with the impression that you too spent long summer days in the Italian country side.
Despite this being a story about two men, “Call Me By Your Name” isn’t a “gay love story”, it’s just a love story about first love and heartbreak that almost everyone can relate to. So next time you want to watch a romantic film, skip the Nicholas Sparks and give “Call Me By Your Name” a try!