Call Me by Your Name

Solid film. The endings are the best parts. a) where it should have ended, and b) where it actually ended. Those are the only times in the film where I felt something. And I did not think the actual ending could top Stuhlbarg's heartwarming father-son monologue, but it so did. The music and Chalamet's face wonderfully translate that teenage feeling of loss and happiness and pity and reminiscence. Powerful ending.

I totally bought their lust for one another too. But not so much from Hammer. It was all Timothée Chalamet. The chaser. Tremendous performance. He looks like a young Damien Chazelle and sounds like Shia LaBeouf, but what a great actor! And he is far more invested in every encounter than Hammer. The film starts off just ok. Not bad. Bit relaxed in parts. Interesting in others. But as it goes on. Vignette after vignette. You become invested. The scenery is lovely and the score is good. Just as Winterbottom's The Trip to Italy did, this makes me want to holiday in Italy tomorrow.

Then comes the discomfort. The first time they kiss in the grass, then the "midnight meeting", then the cum apricot, these were all cringe-worthy and unpleasant to sit through. Wasn't a fan of those scenes at all. I'm a straight man so there is just nothing in those scenes for me to want to look at, and by that point I hadn't taken the plunge to believe in their gay-mance yet. It actually took me until the last quarter. On the flip side, Elio and Marzia's fling was passionate and easy on the eye.

As for awards; I think Chalamet deserves praise, and the cinematography/score.

B+

One observation; Elio puts Oliver's shorts over his head and lays on the bed. Okay, but if a boy put a pair of knickers over his head he would be instantly branded a pervert.

Well I'm glad he liked it. I'm surprised. Easily the best case scenario happened .

Do I bother sharing my thoughts? I'm sure they'll come as no surprise. But here it goes...

I have no words. They couldn't have made a better or more faithful adaptation. The few changes they made weren't ones I took issue with. Timothee Chalamet is perfect as Elio and that's an understatement. He blew me away. Loved all of the tics and craziness he imbued in the character. He was wonderfully weird and real and I found him fascinating to watch. Also loved Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Esther Garrel, who is incredibly lovely and I liked her character here more than in the book. Though nobody comes close to Chalamet's performance.

The location is perfect as is the cinematography. Like the book, I want to live in this film. I want to go to Italy immediately. I want to dance in the street. I want to fall in love. And at the same time I feel like my heart was just broken and I want to lie in bed for days. I also want to see the film again immediately.

Oh, glad you enjoyed it. Did it live up to your lofty expectations? On Facebook you said you were "empty", which I thought was perhaps short for not meeting what you expected of it. Or maybe it was code for blowing your load.

You're hilarious lol. I just feel sad and in a funk.

Because the last few months have all built up to your viewing today? Yeah, I get that feeling. When you're looking forward to something so much that when it arrives, regardless of how special it is, the anticipation that buzzed through your veins is gone. Totally get it. Same thing happened with me and The Expendables in 2010. Best remedy is to see it seven times like I did.

Yeah I already can't wait to see it again once it gets a little closer to me. In the meantime I'm kind of wanting to read the book again. I'm worried I'll never anticipate a movie this much again. I mean, I guess if those sequels happen I will.

There are sequels??! Damn. Now it gets even more interesting because Oliver's engaged to be married, and Elio totally seems the type to not care about fucking that up.

This is a gorgeous film populated by gorgeous people (male and female) in a gorgeous place. There is immediate cinematic value in this almost sensory-overloading level of sumptuous beauty. It is also a consistently engaging and well-acted drama, particularly by the enigmatic Timothée Chalamet, whose portrayal of, in turn, adolescent indecision and intemperance is authentic and detailed. Other than the final father-son conversation, though, it is not an incredibly moving film, which is where it falls slightly short of greatness; I found aesthetic pleasure and intellectual stimulation in charting the lovers' journey without being lifted skyward by their ecstasy or devastated by their inevitable parting at summer's end.

B+

I didn't realize father's of gay sons were so darn understanding and supportive!

It is interesting to see a mainstream gay film where there is almost no suspense regarding how society, family members, etc. will react, the type of anxiety which is incredibly predominant in Brokeback Mountain and Carol. Other than Oliver very briefly mentioning how his father would react if he knew (not well).

Not to the book, but the film does end before the book does. There's a whole other section that ends the book but I understand why it would be difficult to film it at this time. Luca Guadagnino would like to make a couple of sequels. The final one in quite a few years would allow them to film the ending of the novel.

I do understand this more now. It's kind of hard to get a sense of Oliver's interest because we're not in his head. Elio is the main character. We're with him all of the time. So I do understand that. I guess with the ending of the book it is clear that it meant a lot to both. A little less so in the film because we don't see that ending. Plus in the book Oliver at least visits for Christmas and tells Elio the news in person. I really wish that would have happened in the film to be honest. Feels more cruel if you've only seen the movie and think he doesn't visit or even talk to Elio until then. In the book Oliver calls the night he gets back to America in addition to visiting for Christmas.

This was an interesting read: https://seventh-row.com/2017/12/16/armi ... your-name/

I had a bit of trouble getting into the film in the beginning, knowing where things were supposed to lead to, I found it to be developing a bit too slowly. But once the romance between Elio and Oliver takes off, it's fucking beautiful and it was worth the wait. Chamalet and Hammer are both magnificent in their roles, and the director doesn't miss a beat capturing the development of their relationship and some of the truest emotions I've seen in a romance. A couple of excellent Sufjan Stevens songs just fit in perfectly to make it the most beautifully feeling film of last year.

A-

Great film. I loved Timothee's performance. So much great non-verbal acting. Scenes where he's acting with his whole body, especially in all the making out scenes or near making out scenes. What his face says when seeing Hammer dancing with a woman early on. Etc. No idea how Stuhlberg missed based on that one scene alone. I'm also a fan of what Guandagnino did here. It didn't overdo it cinematography wise or try to ram down your threat that Italy is beautiful. It all blended into the movie. Oliver and Elio's home for the summer, feels like home, and comforting in a way. Best gay romance film I've seen.