Call Me By Your Name (2017)

[Bruinsfan]

On 2/6/2018 at 9:53 PM, rwlevin said:

Both actors signed non frontal nudity clauses so the director’s hands were tied on that aspect.

Well, I suppose he could have opted for different actors (though doing so probably would have been disastrous in Chalamet's case). I'm fairly satisfied with the level of explicitness in the film though, it left no doubt about what was actually happening between them in marked contrast to the soulful glances and pan to a lamp that lots of movies settle for.

[AnnieHeights]

I hate saying this but I wasn't really moved by this movie.  For me, Armie Hammer was the problem, although I think he is beautiful, I agree with the above posters who had a tough time with the age he actually looks (to me - 35) and Timothee looks around 15 (although I know the actor is 22).  I think if they had cast another actor to play Oliver that looked 24 I would have had a whole different view of it.  The fathers talk with Elio towards the end was beautiful however.  He and Timothee were fantastic in their roles.     

[methodwriter85]

12 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Well, I suppose he could have opted for different actors (though doing so probably would have been disastrous in Chalamet's case). I'm fairly satisfied with the level of explicitness in the film though, it left no doubt about what was actually happening between them in marked contrast to the soulful glances and pan to a lamp that lots of movies settle for.

Oh, my god. I was so excited to watch Another County so I could see young Rupert Everett and Cary Elwes smooch and...nothing. I know it was 1984, but seriously? Making Love came out in 1982 and we at least saw them kiss at a distance and in the dark!

Anyway, the after shot of them with their legs tangled together was nice. For some reason I've always thought it was hot to see guys with their legs tangled together after some sexual encounter.

Edited February 13, 2018 by methodwriter85

[stealinghome]

I saw the movie a few days ago and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I agree that it's a beautiful movie, lyrical and gorgeously shot; on the other, I also agree that I wasn't as moved by it as I had wanted to be. Maybe it's because I had read too much hype going in, or maybe it's because it's a "quieter" (for lack of a better term) movie, but I didn't really get sucked in emotionally the way I expected to be. I do think there's a lot going on artistically, and I'd need to see the movie 2-3 more times to even begin to figure it all out; I'm surprised it didn't get any sort of directing/cinematography/"artistic" Oscar nom.

I agree TC was very very good (much better than in Lady Bird, which admittedly is such a less interesting/challenging part) and carried the movie with a performance that was pitch-perfect but also low-key, the complete opposite of flashy. I love that you weren't entirely sure how much Elio wanted to be with Oliver or just BE Oliver, and I don't think Elio knew either, which was a great way to play it. TC nailed that perfectly. AH was better than I thought he'd be, and he got better as the film went on, which helped; imo part of the problem with Oliver is that it feels like the movie wasn't entirely sure how it wanted to characterize him, and early on gave signals that just don't match the later characterization, which I don't think is totally on Hammer. Either way, his best work was definitely at the end; I truly did feel for Oliver when he left on the train,* and in the scene that morning while Elio was still asleep and Oliver just look crushed as he sat in the predawn light. AH sold me on the idea that Oliver got in way over his head where Elio was concerned, and I thought they had very good chemistry. That said, I am with the cadre that thought it was a problem that AH looked at least 15 years older than Oliver. Occasionally he did come off as skeevy, and a colleague I saw the film with asked about the age difference and was very surprised to find out Oliver was supposed to be just 24.

*Elio too--I loved that he called his mom to come pick him up from the train station. I think it's so true that even when we try so hard to be "adult," when we're emotionally distraught, there's nothing than we want more than our parents.

The big conversation with the father was wonderful. Some real truths embedded there.

[AnnieHeights]

stealinghome.......I never thought about Elio not sure about wanting/wanting to be Oliver.   That puts a more thoughtful spin on this movie for me.   

[Bruinsfan]

There's definitely been an element of "wanting to be" in more than one of the crushes I've had (including one that happened when I was a little kid, and I'm pretty sure had no sexual aspect at all).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 11/25/2017 at 8:22 PM, sweetcookieface said:

Did you come away from the monologue thinking the father may have been gay or bi, and was lamenting his failure to explore that side of him, or did you take as a more general expression of regret?

In the book, his father says near the end of his speech:

Spoiler

"Let me say one more thing. It will clear the air. I may have come close, but I never had what you had. Something always held me back or stood in the way." He never specifies whether this was with a man or a woman, but I just assumed it was a man and that was one of the reasons he was was trying to tell Elio how lucky he was to have had this time with Oliver. Then again, I guess he could have just been talking about a passionate relationship.

 

On 2/1/2018 at 5:31 AM, Dejana said:

I watch a show based on a book series and in one season just last year, three hetero sexual situations had a character aged up 1-3 years from the source material to appease modern sensibilities. So I don't look at that decision as some sort of concession to homophobia, but it seems like others do and that was never a consideration for adapting CMBYN. I feel like the age difference and fear of the reaction to it, has held the movie back in a way and caused it to be promoted somewhat more hesitantly, if that makes sense. So, you get a situation where the stars go on talk shows and stay away from mentioning Elio's age, as not to stir up controversy. People who don't really look up movies before going to see them go to this and get outraged, because they view 18 as the gold standard age of consent throughout all time and space even though scientists now say adolescence should be extended to 24, so in a hundred years, who knows, people might view 18 as a barbarically low age for sexual activity.

You do get selective outrage about this movie (James Woods) but I don't think all the negative reaction the age difference can be dismissed as homophobia. Dirty Dancing was huge but it was 30 years ago; I can't see a major studio greenlighting that script as is, now or it not being more controversial than it was at the time. 

Dirty Dancing is set the summer before Baby leaves for college (her parents specifically say that she's leaving for Mount Holyoke in the fall), so she's most likely 18 (although she could be 17). Johnny is still clearly a lot older than her (in real life, Patrick Swayze was eight years older than Jennifer Grey and he looked every bit his age - 34 years old - when they filmed). It is interesting in retrospect that Baby's father objected to Johnny not because he was too old for her but because Johnny was from a different social class. Who cares that he's too old for her if he's POOR?

On 2/12/2018 at 10:33 PM, stealinghome said:

I loved that he called his mom to come pick him up from the train station. I think it's so true that even when we try so hard to be "adult," when we're emotionally distraught, there's nothing than we want more than our parents.

I think even when we are no longer kids, we often regress to just needing comfort or reassurance from our parents, but it was a sweet contrast to have Elio returning from this emotionally freeing trip to Rome with his first love (a very adult experience) and then calling his mom for a ride home like any kid (his age or younger) would do.

13 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

There's definitely been an element of "wanting to be" in more than one of the crushes I've had (including one that happened when I was a little kid, and I'm pretty sure had no sexual aspect at all).

This reminded me of when Angela and Rayanne's moms are talking about their kids' friendship on My So-Called Life:

Amber: Rayanne talks about her all the time. She's in love with her. She wants to be Angela.
Patty: Really? Gosh, they seem so different.
Amber: You know kids. They find one person and they just can't get enough of them. Like being in love only, they're not allowed to have sex. Don't you remember there would be like this one person who had like perfect hair or perfect breasts or they were just so funny and you just wanted to eat them up, just live in their bed and just be them. Like everybody else was in black and white and that person was in color. Rayanne thinks Angela is in color. Major color.

[Jan Spears]

I saw it again today.

I was amazed at how much detail I missed the first time around. Things like the Star of David necklace and the shirt Oliver was wearing when he first arrived were so much more significant to me on second viewing. I definitely thought the mother figured out what was happening a lot earlier than I had thought before.

Timothee Chalamet's performance was even more extraordinary on repeat viewing. He used his body like a silent film actor would have -- to convey interior emotions without words (or when words would have been insufficient.) I continue to like Armie Hammer as Oliver although his performance was truly a supporting role to Timothee's Elio.

The ending hit me harder this time. Oliver telling Elio that he was lucky to have such understanding parents because his (Oliver's) father would have sent him to a correctional facility for being involved with another male was such a sad moment, Elio would have been OK going forward but I'm not so sure Oliver would have. And then hearing them call each other "Elio" and "Oliver" for the last time -- sigh.

[snickers]

On 2/17/2018 at 8:06 PM, Jan Spears said:

Timothee Chalamet's performance was even more extraordinary on repeat viewing. He used his body like a silent film actor would have -- to convey interior emotions without words (or when words would have been insufficient.) I continue to like Armie Hammer as Oliver although his performance was truly a supporting role to Timothee's Elio.

yet armie hammer's name is listed first in the credits...i mean i get why...but still

 

I really wish T.C. could pull off an upset and win best oscar...not gonna happen i know, but it be nice....because he did SO GOOD, and while the academy loves actors who "transform" themselves....he did too...he learned to speak italian, he learned to play the piano and the guitar....i mean, if Emma Stone can win an oscar for la la land....I think this performance deserves it more...at least people are saying he is the only person who can compete with Gary Oldman at this point

[Jan Spears]

21 hours ago, snickers said:

yet armie hammer's name is listed first in the credits...i mean i get why...but still

It's a bit like seeing Jane Russell's name above Marilyn Monroe's name in the opening credits of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. That billing made perfect sense at the time (Russell was the bigger star) but it seems a bit odd in 2018. (And I say that as someone who thinks Russell was pitch perfect as Dorothy in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.)

21 hours ago, snickers said:

I really wish T.C. could pull off an upset and win best oscar...not gonna happen i know, but it be nice....because he did SO GOOD, and while the academy loves actors who "transform" themselves....he did too...he learned to speak italian, he learned to play the piano and the guitar....i mean, if Emma Stone can win an oscar for la la land....I think this performance deserves it more...at least people are saying he is the only person who can compete with Gary Oldman at this point

I would like to see Timothee win too. But Gary Oldman will be 60 this year and the Academy may think that this may be their last chance to give Oldman the statue. Hollywood is well aware of how they missed the boat with people like Greta Garbo and Barbara Stanwyck,, who received Honorary Oscars instead of actual acting Oscars.

[snickers]

Since when did the Oscar become it’s time for your due, not for this particular performance....I mean yeah some people felt they did it with Leo (though I personally felt he deserved the Oscar most for what’s eating Gilbert grape) and he was very good in the revenant, but I grew tired of the “it’s his time now thing” because they are doing the same thing with oldman, I just feel it should be about the performance....not whether or not “it’s ones time” 

 

i hope we see TC in other excellent roles in the future... I wasn’t wowed by the lady bird performance but I just wasn’t wowed by that movie period....he speaks well, and seems to know what type of movies he wants to do in the future so hopefully he’ll get nominated again 

[Irlandesa]

42 minutes ago, snickers said:

Since when did the Oscar become it’s time for your due, not for this particular performance.

Ever since Oscars had their own set of politics (and I'm not talking about electoral politics) associated with it.  So basically, it has been a thing for a very long while.  But part of it also has to do with the fact that Oldman's type of performance in this movie is the kind of ish that voters eat up.  There's a reason people joke about Nicole Kidman's prosthetic nose winning her the Oscar.

[snickers]

I get it, I just don’t agree...it’s the same thing with Natalie Portman, she got an Oscar for black swan, a performance I was not that wowed by (and I’m a huge fan) I get her body was put through hell but I’d almost put that more on Darren Aronofsky....dude is a trip to work for.....she should have won an Oscar for Jackie but instead that somehow went to Emma Stone (again why?) 

 

i read an article that jake g has yet to figure this game out or that he just still refuses to do it lol 

 

upon further reflection, I’ve decided to give Armie Hammer more credit for his work in this, I mean I don’t think he should have been nominated for an Oscar (nor should have m.stulhberg) but he was a good Oliver...after reading the book I realized he did do a good job portraying the character..and like I said before I have no problem with him looking 35 as opposed to 24, hell if the character had been 35 I still would have loved every bit of this movie, it’s that good 

Edited February 27, 2018 by snickers

[Silver Raven]

16 hours ago, snickers said:

Since when did the Oscar become it’s time for your due, not for this particular performance.

*cough*John Wayne*cough*

[Browncoat]

I finally got to see this last night, and I really liked it.  I admit I would rather Elio have been 18 (and Oliver not looked 35), but it's Italy!  I did have to keep reminding myself that Elio was meant to be 17 -- he looked 15, and at times acted like he was about 12 or 13.  That said, I thought they had great chemistry together.

I also think Elio's mom knew before anyone else did -- including Elio and Oliver.

[emjohnson03]

Finally!

I had been dying to see this film and to me it didn't disappoint. I think it has so many layers and meanings and thoughts wrapped up a moment of time.

The sound was amazing. I felt like I was in Italy in the summer, the sounds of the bugs, the leaves, the sun shining down really brought me to that place and I so enjoyed how it felt like 1983. I didn't feel I was transported to that time, I was IN IT with them. 

Some of my favorite scenes besides the big scenes were the little ones. 

Every part of it just touched me and now I have to read the book. 

I really enjoy the films that give you glimpses into other people's lives and doesn't overdo it. There they were, the two of them, grasping for something and finding it, only to lose it because of timing and everything else. Goodness gracious, beautiful.

I would love to see Elio and Oliver meet again years down the line, just by chance and what that would be like. 

And the father's speech at the very end was incredibly moving. We all need to FEEL because we miss all of life if we don't.

Bravo to this film.

[Jan Spears]

On ‎2‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 12:28 PM, Browncoat said:

I did have to keep reminding myself that Elio was meant to be 17 -- he looked 15, and at times acted like he was about 12 or 13.

What was extraordinary about the character of Elio (and Timothee's performance as Elio) was that he could go from acting like a typical adolescent one moment (i.e. when his father had to order him to wear the shirt that "Sonny&Cher" had bought him) to being very adult and, frankly, calculating at others.

22 hours ago, emjohnson03 said:

The sound was amazing. I felt like I was in Italy in the summer, the sounds of the bugs, the leaves, the sun shining down really brought me to that place and I so enjoyed how it felt like 1983. I didn't feel I was transported to that time, I was IN IT with them.

I agree. The film really conveyed the sense of a slow, hazy Italian summer. I also liked how they evoked 1983 without overdoing the period aspect. (Elio wearing a Talking Heads t-shirt was a perfect touch because someone like Elio would have worn a Talking Heads t-shirt that summer.)

Edited March 2, 2018 by Jan Spears

[methodwriter85]

I've been coming across fan videos. There's one with "Hungry Eyes", which is kind of awesome. It was jarring to learn that Timothee Chalamet is actually 6 feet tall, because he looks so tiny next to Armie, but then again Armie is 6'5". 

I know people bemoan the lack of dick but I really did like just how Elio conveyed his passion for him. Timothee is really great at using his body gestures and language to convey character and emotions.

[paramitch]

Oh, I'm so frustrated! I wrote a big fat post in response to so much goodness posted here, and AGHGHG, the Internet ate it.

So. Trying again. Anyway! I loved this movie. Loved it. An absolutely gorgeous film.

I loved everything -- the intelligent, perceptive, and intensely loving characters, the world they inhabited, this gorgeous enchanted place out of time. It's a really special and beautiful film, and I loved the way it gave the characters moments to think, feel, react and breathe. And yet sometimes it hid them from us too. I loved how Oliver is seen obliquely for much of the first half, as if he's godlike or detached (as Elio sees him).

I'll start right away by addressing the age thing. I had no idea Armie Hammer was 30+. I thought he was mid-twenties playing early twenties, honestly (since Oliver was a postgrad college student). But I did appreciate the film clarifying that Elio was 17, because he is very adolescent in appearance, and that freed me from any real discomfort.

Beyond that, even knowing they're supposed to be 24 and 17, I'm still okay with the story that was presented. Oliver was often boyish and vulnerable, and twentysomethings are certainly still maturing themselves. Beyond that, I do think every scenario is different, and that it's possible for a 17 year-old to be capable, in specific circumstances, of maturity and informed consent in a relationship with someone 6 or 7 years older. Elio is a brilliant, precocious and sensitive person, he's already sexually active, he's the aggressor throughout the interactions with Oliver, and despite the tangible connection between them emotionally and sexually, Oliver is far more hesitant and thoughtful about whether to proceed, and he is open about his concerns with Elio.

So... I have no issues here. I felt the pairing was genuinely moving and erotic, and that it was handled with sensitivity within the fiction of their universe, as well as by the filmmakers and actors.

And I was so impressed with all the actors, especially the beautiful and gifted Chalamet. He's unbelievable -- virtuosic, mercurial, and so real -- from the piano performances to his effortless language work, his gorgeous physical performance choices, and that final heartbreaking moment before the fire! And Armie Hammer absolutely surprised me as well. And, in fact, I feel like Hammer's been underpraised and he really deserves the accolades -- there's a hidden vulnerability to Oliver that I didn't expect. Upon rewatch, so much of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME is reaction shots, and when it comes to the relationship between Elio and Oliver, it is Oliver's face we cut to, so often, in love, desire, fear, worry, and hesitance, and Hammer I felt was both poignant and genuinely moving there. He looks by turns cautious, confident (perhaps falsely), warm, loving terrified, concerned, etc., at so many moments here. I loved that we could see from his reactions that Elio brings out something in Oliver that he didn't even know existed within himself. And I felt that we also see that Oliver is aware of the rarity of what they're experiencing, while Elio isn't, which adds this poignance and bittersweetness to many of their scenes -- bittersweet for Elio because he knows Oliver will have to leave, and bittersweet for Oliver because he knows he will never experience anything like this again.

And the physical blocking of scenes, I just loved. They felt so urgent and fumbling and sensitive, more real because of that. 

For me, some movies are about characters you were happy to meet and spend time with. I loved these people -- Elio and his incredibly kind, gentle parents, Oliver, Marzia, their parents' friends, the girls and friends of the village. And then you add the emotion, the incredible music (both from Elio and in the soundtrack) and people who understand music and how to talk about it. And how music is an expression that goes beyond words.

Anyway, it's definitely going on my "favorites of all time" list. 

On 12/22/2017 at 8:20 PM, Irlandesa said:

When his mom suggested Elio go away with Oliver, she knew what was up.  I think during the dad's monologue, he was letting his son preserve a semblance of privacy about the relationship.  He referred to the relationship as a "special friendship" with only a slight reference to there possibly being "more."  And he pretended like the mother didn't know even though he knew damn well she did.  By the time the holidays come around, Elio is probably more mature and recognizes that his parents knew more than he thought they did. 

 

I agree. I felt both of Elio's parents knew what was up, and in fact knew of Elio's feelings for Oliver far earlier than Elio did himself. I can't emphasize enough how much I adored Elio's parents, especially his father (played by the always wonderful Stuhlbarg). They give Elio what he needs -- the right amounts of freedom and structure, and the way they constantly let him know that they are there if he needs them, all while respecting his privacy and feelings. 

The parents are indicative of a common theme in this story -- which is kindness. Most of the characters are, overwhelmingly, so kind. Elio, Oliver, his parents, Marzia. They are good people.

On 1/17/2018 at 11:55 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Timothee captured being 17 just so well. It was incredible- he was such a ball of adolescent energy and yearning and sadness and joy and it just made me smile to remember what it was like when I was that age. And I loved that he kissed like a horny young boy who wants to french immediately, rather than doing some pretty movie screen kiss.

I teared up with the dad's speech, especially about how you can't shut yourself down to not feel anything, or you won't have anything to give by the time you're 30. I really related to that. I think having an open heart is one of the best things about being a teenager, but of course the downside is that it's easy to get crushed. I think that's why most people tend to shut that down a bit by the time they get to their 30's.

I agree. I loved all the little moments where Elio would just kind of throw himself at Oliver with so much clumsy sweetness and urgency. Chalamet just gave him this beautiful combination of awkwardness and grace, that sense that he's still growing into his body and learning how to navigate teh world with it.

And oh, Perlman's speech at the end. So, so beautifully acted by Stuhlbarg, and it broke my heart ten different ways. First, because I loved his relationship with his wife, and the idea that it wasn't quite enough, that it was lacking, made me so sad. And then because I empathized strongly with him. It's funny... it's a gorgeous film filled with love and pain but that was the only moment that made me cry.

On 1/31/2018 at 9:06 PM, tongueincheek said:

Michael Stuhlbarg's monologue is one of the most visceral and breathtaking moments on screen I've seen in the past 12 years or so. 

Don't even get me started on the wonderful Stuhlbarg, who has become one of my favorite actors just in the past few years, thanks to ARRIVAL, SHAPE OF WATER, THE LOOMING TOWER, and now this, and who was absolutely lovely as Elio's Dad. Honestly, his final monologue killed me because I identified so strongly with what he was communicating (that admission that he had never experienced a love or passion at the level of Elio's). Which was both a beautiful and painful thing for him to admit, and for me to realize about him and his wonderful, beautiful wife. And yet -- he's giving Elio such a gift there, so much honesty and respect, and what he needs -- that knowledge that he has people who will always accept him as he is.

But although Elio's father says he doesn't think his wife knows his secret, I am absolutely sure Elio's Mom knows, by the way... she's far too perceptive not to. But I think even if it is not perfect passion, that there is visible love, intimacy and respect there, and that Elio's mother accepts what love and comfort from Elio's dad that he's able to give her. Because that's what people do.
 

On 2/1/2018 at 7:25 AM, luna1122 said:

I did find it all very languid and lovely and literate and beautiful...true travel porn. I yearn for that house.

The setting of the movie was like a dream, it was so lovely. From the house to the fields and mountains and shorelines... the entire movie was incredibly beautiful to look at. I was totally Liz-Lemoning the entire time, going, I WANT TO GO TO THERE.

On 2/1/2018 at 7:44 PM, Irlandesa said:

I found the sex between Elio and Marzia and Elio and Oliver to be equally "explicit" or "not explicit" in equal ways. 

I'd agree with this. I didn't feel like Marzia was objectified or that her toplessness was riskier than the nudity of the two men, who disrobed several times during the film, even if we didn't get frontal nudity -- I felt it was comparable to Marzia's moment with Elio, so I didn't feel like two different standards were being applied.

On 2/6/2018 at 4:45 PM, Jan Spears said:

I went into it not knowing how I would feel about the 24/17 issue but honestly, after seeing the film, it didn't bother me at all. Elio could be, in turns, quite adult and quite adolescent. But there were times when Oliver acted less mature than Elio. But for Armie Hammer looking much older than 24, the two characters actually seemed much closer in age.

I also thought the parents definitely knew what was happening at a certain point and that it would be good for Elio to have this experience with Oliver, who they trusted with their son.

I agree, and beautifully put (and as I mentioned before, I had no idea Armie was much older, but then I'm bad at that stuff anyway and was probably just blinded at his ridiculous superhuman beauty).

Further, what I think the movie manages to communicate (for me at least) is that this is a situation in which Elio is actually the empowered one. Oliver is visibly cautious and attempting to not engage despite their real mutual intellectual and physical attraction. Once Elio makes the next series of moves and a physical relationship begins, Oliver even checks in constantly with Elio, showing vulnerability, worry, concern, and empathy. He constantly asks Elio questions about how he is, is he sure, is he okay, does he want to proceed, etc. He openly asks for consent in two key scenes early on that initiate a physical escalation of their relationship, and waits for Elio's response. I felt he came across as a good, passionate and caring person, and that his romance with Elio was ultimately a positive and precious thing.

And I felt Elio's parents felt this too. What got me at little moments in the film is the real warmth and sweetness Elio's parents show Oliver. Given what we learn at the very end of the film, it's as if they sense that he needs as much love as he can get, that the riches of their lives -- the companionship, love, freedom, kindness and joy are very foreign to Oliver. As beautiful as he is, as desired as he constantly is, he nevertheless seems lonely and yearning to me. I loved that Elio's parents loved and trusted Oliver, and communicated that so openly. 

I felt like there was something in Oliver that was almost starved. He wants something he didn't even know existed. It's why he drinks so much apricot juice, why he can't get enough of their wonderful food (and has to stop himself from gorging on eggs). He's hungry. Elio's home and family provide him with a beauty and awareness of the world he didn't even know he was missing. I loved that.

On 2/6/2018 at 7:53 PM, Jan Spears said:

I thought the movie ending (compared to the book ending, which I've only read summaries of) gave more room for interpretation regarding Elio and Oliver. Yes, Elio was heartbroken that Oliver wouldn't be coming back to him. But I envisioned Elio being too dynamic of a person to become forever mired in heartbreak. I walked out of the theater thinking that Elio would move on to find someone else while always retaining the fondest of memories of what happened that summer. The person I felt sorry for was Oliver, who buckled under social pressure in a way that I don't Elio ever would or could. 

 

Although Elio is in pain at the end of the film, it's a pain that is all the more precious because it is equal in measure to the love and passion he experienced (and that he now recognizes as a rare and wonderful thing). I was really saddened by that final conversation between Oliver and Elio, especially on the heels of the beautiful and tender discussion Elio has with his father. Because then we find out that Oliver doesn't have that, and has never had it -- that support, that acceptance. Elio will always be okay -- he'll be a force of nature, he will always be able to love. But I got the sense that Oliver is trapped in his terrible facade of respectability and there is little love and much coldness there. He'll marry someone he doesn't truly desire to keep up appearances and satisfy a cruel father, living a lie.

It just broke my heart a little, the sound of Oliver's voice breaking in that final moment with Elio, when he calls him "Oliver" for the last time. He's the one who will be in pain for longer. Elio will be fine. Oliver won't.

On 2/14/2018 at 12:16 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

In the book, his father says near the end of his speech:

  Hide contents

"Let me say one more thing. It will clear the air. I may have come close, but I never had what you had. Something always held me back or stood in the way." He never specifies whether this was with a man or a woman, but I just assumed it was a man and that was one of the reasons he was was trying to tell Elio how lucky he was to have had this time with Oliver. Then again, I guess he could have just been talking about a passionate relationship.

I think even when we are no longer kids, we often regress to just needing comfort or reassurance from our parents, but it was a sweet contrast to have Elio returning from this emotionally freeing trip to Rome with his first love (a very adult experience) and then calling his mom for a ride home like any kid (his age or younger) would do.

This reminded me of when Angela and Rayanne's moms are talking about their kids' friendship on My So-Called Life:

Amber: Rayanne talks about her all the time. She's in love with her. She wants to be Angela.
Patty: Really? Gosh, they seem so different.
Amber: You know kids. They find one person and they just can't get enough of them. Like being in love only, they're not allowed to have sex. Don't you remember there would be like this one person who had like perfect hair or perfect breasts or they were just so funny and you just wanted to eat them up, just live in their bed and just be them. Like everybody else was in black and white and that person was in color. Rayanne thinks Angela is in color. Major color.

I'm not sure what I felt there... I still haven't decided if I think Elio's father was talking more generally about passion, or if he was describing his own past desire for a man -- a desire he wasn't brave enough to act upon. The scene in which he's showing the slides to Oliver makes me think he's talking about a real moment (he says the male statues are "daring us to desire them" and Oliver gives him a sharp look after that, as if he's trying to figure him out).

Also, that dialogue moment you mention is actually one of my favorites from "My So-Called Life!" I always loved that conversation. It's so revealing and so honest! And it perfectly captures that feeling of adolescence, the way everything is so fraught and desperate and larger than life.

On 2/17/2018 at 5:06 PM, Jan Spears said:

I was amazed at how much detail I missed the first time around. Things like the Star of David necklace and the shirt Oliver was wearing when he first arrived were so much more significant to me on second viewing. I definitely thought the mother figured out what was happening a lot earlier than I had thought before.

So true! Elio's mother absolutely knows. I love the early scene where she notices that Elio's wearing the Star of David necklace, and gently tells him that she knows Oliver likes him. And even earlier, I love the moment with Elio's parents entwined on the couch, and Elio is listening to his mother read the fairytale to them, and his father says, "You know, Elly Belly, you can always talk to us." There's just so much sweetness and compassion there.

On 2/26/2018 at 10:18 PM, Irlandesa said:

There's a reason people joke about Nicole Kidman's prosthetic nose winning her the Oscar.

Oh, but I love THE HOURS and Kidman's performance. I think it's unlike anything she's ever done. And I love love love her nose in that. I honestly think it made her more beautiful and so much more interesting visually.

Edited May 1, 2018 by paramitch
Fixed italics

[methodwriter85]

There was a revival screening at an arthouse theater for Pride Month, so I went ahead and saw the movie again. It was interesting, because I was sitting in front of a group of older queens who kept laughing through Elio's masturbation scenes. So that was interesting.

I paid more attention to Oliver in this screening, as we get to know him more in the second half of the movie. One thing I really liked is that he becomes seemingly younger once he and Elio get going- more playful and open. At the same time, there are little flashes of regret that go across Oliver's face, because he KNOWS that this is just a temporary visit to carefree youth for him. That's why he's so hesitant to start this, because he knows that it's not going to be a forever thing, partly because of life circumstances and partly because he knows that he can't live life as a gay man.

24's closer to me than 17 is, but still enough away (I'm 32) that I can't have some insight on that, as well. Oliver feels like that mid-20's guy who feels as though he's got his life figured out to a tee, and he's dead-set on making his vision for himself happen. He tries to bat away his feelings for Elio, because they aren't compatible with the plans that Oliver has set up for himself (doctorate, academia, wife, family, adorable Cape Cod in the suburbs), but he gives in for a time. Oliver becomes a kid again (you can really see that in the dancing in the street scene) until he goes back home and puts away that side of himself for good.

[paramitch]

On 6/13/2018 at 9:19 PM, methodwriter85 said:

There was a revival screening at an arthouse theater for Pride Month, so I went ahead and saw the movie again. It was interesting, because I was sitting in front of a group of older queens who kept laughing through Elio's masturbation scenes. So that was interesting.

I paid more attention to Oliver in this screening, as we get to know him more in the second half of the movie. One thing I really liked is that he becomes seemingly younger once he and Elio get going- more playful and open. At the same time, there are little flashes of regret that go across Oliver's face, because he KNOWS that this is just a temporary visit to carefree youth for him. That's why he's so hesitant to start this, because he knows that it's not going to be a forever thing, partly because of life circumstances and partly because he knows that he can't live life as a gay man.

24's closer to me than 17 is, but still enough away (I'm 32) that I can't have some insight on that, as well. Oliver feels like that mid-20's guy who feels as though he's got his life figured out to a tee, and he's dead-set on making his vision for himself happen. He tries to bat away his feelings for Elio, because they aren't compatible with the plans that Oliver has set up for himself (doctorate, academia, wife, family, adorable Cape Cod in the suburbs), but he gives in for a time. Oliver becomes a kid again (you can really see that in the dancing in the street scene) until he goes back home and puts away that side of himself for good.

That's beautifully put. I'm so glad you got another big screen experience of this incredibly gorgeous film.

I felt the same way about Oliver (and wrote many many walls of text above already, hee, so I won't repeat myself). I felt that he reconnected with something young and yearning within himself. He wasn't far enough past adolescence to still capture it, and he did, and for a summer he lived in that beautiful dream of illusion that his life and choices were still ahead of him. He sleeps too much, eats too much, drinks too much, dances too much. Loses himself. Dreams that he could be anyone, do anything.

Which (looking back) -- horribly -- was true. If he was brave enough to cut ties with everything in his world. And he wasn't and couldn't. And it's no judgment of Oliver -- most people couldn't do so.

But it's why Oliver breaks my heart as a character. I think Oliver's feelings for Elio are every bit as deep as those of Elio for him (in fact, I would argue they are more so). And of course -- let's face it -- this is a tempestuous adolescent gorgeous affair that may end up a blip for Elio (except it doesn't) -- but Oliver did have choices here. The Perlmans want him to come back and ask him back and openly mean it. The revelation about Oliver's family makes this all the more painful -- he has an unaccepting family/father back home, lives a colder, closeted life. Here he is, offered this sun-drenched paradise, a loving accepting family, a passionate and meaningful lover. And he still can't accept it. It is a dream.

Elio is our window into the movie and the book. But, for me, it is a story about Oliver. Yes, about Elio. About his family and beautiful parents and friends. But it is also about Oliver. Elio drowns in all the love. Oliver hesitates, time and again, but also we see him taking in the little moments. We see how important the question is to him (through that beautiful specific, slow refocus to his face) when he asks Elio, "Did the knight speak or die?" and Elio answers. The answer matters more than Oliver can admit.

From that point on, there are similar little moments that Elio is utterly unaware of that are solely focused on Oliver: Oliver reacting to Elio's flirtation at the piano. Oliver relaxing enough to admit how much he enjoys the way Elio thinks at the riverside. Oliver worrying the morning after their first night together (and Elio enjoying the cruelty of knowing he is wanted for the first time). Oliver losing himself enough to run and shout like a boy, to give the "call me by your name and I'll call you by mine" admission.

And most of all -- Oliver's last moments in their night together before the last dawn, standing at the window, unwilling to sleep, watching Elio drown himself in happy euphoric dreams. Oliver is too old for that. He is much more aware of the pain to come. So he simply watches Elio sleep.

And then we get that final admission on the telephone... "I remember everything."

For me, Oliver is the most tragic character in "Call Me By Your Name." I wrote further above, earlier, but Elio will be fine. It is Oliver who is in a prison of his own making (well, now -- of his father's making). This one summer of passion will be all he has. 

Edited June 15, 2018 by paramitch
stupid parentheses

[Bruinsfan]

Until the sequel, anyway.

[methodwriter85]

On 6/21/2018 at 5:11 PM, Bruinsfan said:

Until the sequel, anyway.

Dude, just let us have our melancholic interpretation of Armie Hammer's character. LOL.

The book epilogue doesn't really seem to suggest that Elio and Oliver ever have anymore encounters that go beyond filling each other in on what they're been doing, so I'll be interested in seeing how they fill that out to make a sequel.

Although part of me doesn't really want a sequel. I love how it all feels preserved in amber, that special summer of 1983.

[Browncoat]

Are they really planning a sequel?  If any movie does NOT need a sequel, this is it. 

[paramitch]

My understanding is that the filmmaker wants to depart from the book epilogues and create a series similar to Linklater's "Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight" series, that would revisit the relationship after a period of years.

For instance, I know the sequel was announced recently, but it also looks like they're rethinking the timing (which I 1000% agree with -- there needs to be a significant gap for it to have any meaning). 

[Bruinsfan]

That's going to be a logistical problem though... Chalamet still looks like a teenager despite being 22 now, and if they wait 5 years to film it Hammer is going to look like he's in his 50s.

[methodwriter85]

3 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

That's going to be a logistical problem though... Chalamet still looks like a teenager despite being 22 now, and if they wait 5 years to film it Hammer is going to look like he's in his 50s.

With luck, Armie might "freeze" at a late 30's/early 40's look. His look does remind me of the classic Hollywood male. That big stature and strong jaw makes him too old-looking to play teenagers or young men at an age where he should be able to, but a lot of those Old Hollywood stars maintained their leading man looks a long time. I do think his real age is catching up to his looks age, so he should be fine. I do think it's going to be a loooonnnngggg time before Chalamet loses his teenage boy face. Matthew Broderick's real age didn't catch up to him until he was in his late 30's and then it hit him like a freight train after Election.

BTW, going back to the 1980's, does anyone else think that Armie Hammer looks a lot like 1980's soap star John James? Even the speaking voices and mannerisms are similar. The main difference is that John James is of a normal height and he's got that 80's poofy mop. (Although he aged like shit so maybe your point just got proven.)

Quote

I also liked how they evoked 1983 without overdoing the period aspect. (Elio wearing a Talking Heads t-shirt was a perfect touch because someone like Elio would have worn a Talking Heads t-shirt that summer.)

One thing I've noticed in studying yearbooks of the early 1980's (I volunteer with a small museum and we have the local high school's yearbook collection) is that the fashion of the time period is not the Debbie Gibson acid-washed and neon color version that we associate with the 1980's as a whole. The early 1980's were mainly just about preppy and classic looks, and you really see that with Oliver. He's pretty much wearing things that someone his age could have worn in 1953, or they could have worn in 1993 or 2013. The only thing that would be different would be the length of his shorts.

I DID appreciate that they had Oliver wear period-correct short swimsuits. I did think that Elio's magenta swimsuit with a black pattern on it had more of an early 1990's look, but other than that everything really seemed to fit the time period. And I did love Elio's New Wave outfit with a beret at the end.

Period movies often either go for the funny caricature look, or they really undersell the time period to allow the leads to look attractive to modern audiences. (I thought Perks of Being A Wallflower was SUPER-GUILTY of that.) Call Me By Your Name seemed to hit just the right note.

[Jan Spears]

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 7:08 PM, methodwriter85 said:

It was jarring to learn that Timothee Chalamet is actually 6 feet tall, because he looks so tiny next to Armie, but then again Armie is 6'5"..

In rewatching the film, I've noticed that Timothee will often lean forward a bit when he and Armie stand side-by-side. This reinforces how Elio (and the viewer) see Oliver as comparable to one of those Roman statues from antiquity (i.e the slide show scene between Oliver and Elio's father).

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 10:40 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Although part of me doesn't really want a sequel. I love how it all feels preserved in amber, that special summer of 1983.

I'm on the fence about a sequel. Like you, I like the idea of that lazy, magical summer being frozen in time for both of them. Also, I like that the two of them could still exist at a remove from what was starting to happen all around them by 1983: AIDS. Once a year, I watch Making Love (1982) and Longtime Companion (1989) back-to-back. The two movies together really encapsulate the 80s: pre-AIDS and post-AIDS. I don't know if you could make a sequel and act as if AIDS hadn't taken center stage between 1983 and whenever the next movie is set. 

[Jan Spears]

14 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

With luck, Armie might "freeze" at a late 30's/early 40's look. His look does remind me of the classic Hollywood male. That big stature and strong jaw makes him too old-looking to play teenagers or young men at an age where he should be able to, but a lot of those Old Hollywood stars maintained their leading man looks a long time. I do think his real age is catching up to his looks age, so he should be fine. I do think it's going to be a loooonnnngggg time before Chalamet loses his teenage boy face. Matthew Broderick's real age didn't catch up to him until he was in his late 30's and then it hit him like a freight train after Election.

I think Armie's look may stay "static" for a good long time provided he avoids certain things (too much alcohol, too much sun). I'm more curious as to how Timothee is going to age and how his looks will "settle".

In rewatching the film on DVD, I continue to be amazed at the new things I notice:

• Timothee does this kind of bounding movement throughout the movie. I noticed for the first time that Michael Stuhlbarg does the same exact movement early in the film.
• There'a scene where Elio and Oliver stop their bike ride and ask an elderly woman for water. They both notice the large photo/mural the woman has of Benito Mussolini hanging outside her home and Elio remarks simply: "That's Italy." Later, when Elio is wearing his Star of David necklace, his mother puts her hand across it. The two events seem disconnected but, as I thought about them, they're not. The movie is set in 1983 so the mother, who could be anywhere from her late-30s to late-40s, would be more than aware of the fate that befell the Italian Jews during the late-stages of World War II (see The Garden of the Finzi-Continis). While Elio would find her thinking paranoid, her desire to keep the family's Judaism discreet makes perfect sense in the context of her character.
• After Elio and Oliver are intimate for the first time, the camera lingers briefly on Oliver's swim trunks, which Elio (humorously) put over his head earlier in the film. It's a quick call-back to that earlier scene.

If ever a movie rewards repeated viewings, this one is it!

Edited June 24, 2018 by Jan Spears

[Robert Lynch]

I think Timothee Chalamet has the same condition that plagued Ralph Macchio for three decades by being youthful and boyish. I mean, Ralph remained young for quite a while and it wasn't until 2012 or 2013 that he aged. He even beat Matthew Broderick in terms of youthful longevity. I remember Ralph said that at the height of his popularity that he wasn't getting good roles due to his youthful appearance. And Timothee has another film coming out that takes place in the early 90s. We'll see how long he could remain youthful in these type of roles that Timothee gets.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Robert Lynch

[Silver Raven]

Timothee is starring in The King, a retelling of Shakespeare's Henry V.  I don't know if it's in modern speech or Shakespearean language with just a modern title.  It also stars Joel Edgerton as Falstaff (interesting casting) and Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis.

[Robert Lynch]

This movie

[Irlandesa]

On 6/22/2018 at 10:40 PM, methodwriter85 said:

The book epilogue doesn't really seem to suggest that Elio and Oliver ever have anymore encounters that go beyond filling each other in on what they're been doing, so I'll be interested in seeing how they fill that out to make a sequel.

The talk was for possibly more than one sequel.  If they were going to hit all the Elio and Oliver meetings, they would need to let time pass between their first reunion and the [potentially] final meeting. 

And I admit, as much as it appeals to me to spend more time with this duo, I don't love Luca's story telling ability when it comes original plot.  And while I do think they could fill in the stories of each of them as individuals, I'm nervous about how those stories will be filled out.

5 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

I think Timothee Chalamet has the same condition that plagued Ralph Macchio for three decades by being youthful and boyish.

I think it's possible but also a bit early to tell. He's only 22 and I think he already looks older than he did 2 years ago when he filmed CMBYN.  I also think a lot of what made him capture 17 so exquisitely were his body language choices.  It was as much about how he was physically as it was his physicality.

[methodwriter85]

10 hours ago, Jan Spears said:

I'm on the fence about a sequel. Like you, I like the idea of that lazy, magical summer being frozen in time for both of them. Also, I like that the two of them could still exist at a remove from what was starting to happen all around them by 1983: AIDS. Once a year, I watch Making Love (1982) and Longtime Companion (1989) back-to-back. The two movies together really encapsulate the 80s: pre-AIDS and post-AIDS. I don't know if you could make a sequel and act as if AIDS hadn't taken center stage between 1983 and whenever the next movie is set. 

The book's setting is 1987 and Luca said specifically that he moved back the year to 1983 to allow these characters to live in an innocent bubble, not just with AIDS but with the corruption of the decade such as Reaganism and Thatcherism.

Unless he skips 10 years, I do think whatever sequel would have to address AIDS in a big way.

Quote

I think Armie's look may stay "static" for a good long time provided he avoids certain things (too much alcohol, too much sun). I'm more curious as to how Timothee is going to age and how his looks will "settle".

He and his wife seem to like pot but he doesn't come off as a big party boy, at least going by the general gossip and social media that surrounds him.

[methodwriter85]

I found this video parody that imagines Call Me By Your Name as a 1980's buddy comedy:

Very accurate. There might have been one or two homoerotic scenes, and some slashy moments, but yeah- "a life-changing friendship" indeed.

I feel like Matthew Broderick would have been great casting as Elio if this were really 1983. Possibly Andrew McCarthy.

Oliver of course, would have to be John James.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Armie Hammer did the audio book of Call Me By Your Name. He talks about it here (and his new Broadway play). He said that it was very interesting to do the audio book recording because the book is all from Elio's point of view and obviously when they shot he movie, he was thinking about it from Oliver's point of view.