Director: Luca Guadagnino
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 134 minutes
Call Me by Your Name (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
Love is something that has been around for ages and it has its own ways if getting into your heart. It’s not a feeling you can control, although some people never thought of getting feelings for a specific person. In Call Me by Your Name, this is actually the case. You can experience the blossoming love story between two intertwined souls.
We’re teleported back to 1983, to the beautiful Italy. Elio (Timothée Chalamet), the son of renowned professor Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) and his mother Annella (Amira Casar) is living the life with his girl Marzia (Esther Garrel). Each year during summer a new trainee is chosen to help his father with his research and today is the day of arrival. A good-looking American, Oliver (Armie Hammer), is now staying at their residence. At the beginning, it’s a bit searching and trying to get to know each other. Elio takes up the task to show Oliver around and tries to be the best host. Of course, as our young fellow is 17, he also wants to play around a bit with his friends, read a bit or make music. Days go by and it seems that there is something special going on between the young Italian and the older American. Elio starts to feel certain things which he didn’t thought were possible and he doesn’t really know what to do with it. The question rises if the feelings are mutual though, which is something they both got to discover.
The flow of the movie is rather slow as the feelings of both protagonists have to develop, which takes time of course. Certain parts of the process are shown in detail, while there were also some cringe-worthy parts that didn’t have much value to the story, or so it seems. If you like it to be more action-pumped, you’ll be in for a cold shower. You’ll get a more psychological summer vacation which will make you need a succulent peach in the sun. In the end, the movie does deliver a more sensual story, but it might’ve cut some corners here and there.
Playing in a movie with such strong emotions can be difficult, as it’s hard to convey everything just right. Timothée Chalamet undergoes quite a transformation between the young boy that discovers new sides of himself to a lovestruck man. Of course, some actions are a bit dubious but are linked to the developing feelings. The other protagonist, Armie Hammer, is the perfect counterpart for the sparkling young Elio as he is a lot more mature and reserved (at times). The chemistry between two actors is nice to see while the other artists have their part in the story as well. The parents, played by Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar, fit in nicely and the love they have for their son shows on the screen. Their view and feelings about the situation are also nice to see, although they are a really open-minded about it, certainly when you realize it takes place in 1983.
Bonus wise, there isn’t much to be excited about. There are some trailers, the making of, a talk with some of the actors, some bonus commentary and a music video of “The Mystery of Love” by Sufjan Stevens. If you were expecting special or refreshing, it’s all you’re going to get.
Conclusion
Call Me by Your Name is an emotional rollercoaster for Elio, as he discovers some sides he never thought of existing. This is brought beautifully thanks to the awesome cast, although the story itself goes rather slow and has some unnecessary parts. Of course, the emotional development has to be shown to the fullest, but makes it rather heavy to watch. If you’re in the mood for something more serious (and some cringy moments), be sure to check out this movie.
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