Call Me By Your Name (dir. Luca Guadagnino)

“I know nothing, Oliver”: so says 17-year old Elio, played by the tremendously serene Timothee Chalamet, to his love interest in the domineering Armie Hammer.

It’s this dramatic naivety and innocence which becomes the Center of Luca Guadaningo’s expertly crafted same-sex love story: a breathtaking examination on the thesis of young love and the intricacies behind vulnerability on the precipice of manhood, this Oscar favorite is a detailed and deftly handled portrait of desire and intimacy and the most heartbreaking of love-stories.

Benefiting greatly from other masterpieces within the gay canon like Todd Haynes’ Carol and Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, Guadaningo’s tale of a besotted young teen enamored by his father's research assistant is enriched by its glorious backdrop of the northern Italian scenery; a perfectly nuanced musical score by Sufjan Stevens and performances which defy the mere notion of performance. So believable are Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet as a couple in the midst of a beguiling romance which rocks them both to their very core - an experience impossible to forget and one which will define their characters for years to come. At times “Call Me By Your Name”, which is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Andre Aciman, berated my credulity to it’s fictional roots; as this coming of age tale is so majestic it could very well be a real-life story dripped in it’s own profundity.

Utilizing the serene and the mysterious lusciousness of the Italian countryside, it’s the summer of 1983 “somewhere in the north of Italy”, and the musically talented bilingual American-Italian Jew Elio (Chalamet) mocks the arrival of his fathers (Michael Stuhlbarg) 24-year old research assistant Oliver (hammer), here to stay in their opulent European palace for the next 6 weeks. “The usurper” says Elio to his female companion as he notices his arrival from his bedroom window - a mocking insincerity at yet another summer visitor whose presence denotes an air of hostility. Is he here to vie for his parents affections or vying for power in his household? Little does Elio know that the American tourist will take much more from our young virgin -but in a undeniably positive way.

Elio takes it upon himself to indoctrinate Oliver to the local customs in the small Italian town with which they inhabit; so asks Oliver - “So what exactly do you do here?” to which Elio responds - “read books, transcribe music and swim in the river”. So that’s what they do. Relishing the gorgeous sunshine which bellows down on our lovebirds, bike-rides and galavanting around town become the foreplay for our young-lovers during their renaissance.

In our director Guadagnino - the master of sexual tension- their brooding romance takes its time to materialize; with the Italian director never shying away from a close up showing the men staying at each other from afar.

A fascination blossoms for Elio, a indifference and sexual confusion which he attempts to understand in the most unorthodox of fashions - whether it’s putting Oliver’s bathing suit over his head and dry humping the bed or an unforgettable scene with a peach - their difficult romance is handled with a brazen elegance and attention to detail. A perfect example of this brilliance is a dancing sequence, with Elio watching accompanied by his school friends, with a cigarette in hand, he stares at Oliver’s admittedly humorous dancing against the backdrop of a synthetic 80s pop ballad. Not a lot is said, and it doesn’t take long for Elio to join him - but it’s the birth of an attraction which will develop into a sexual appetite Elio is unable to fully compute until he can act on it.

The final passage in Italian direct Luca Guadagnino’s desire trilogy, after the mesmeric “I Am Love” and 2015’s aggressively entertaining “A Bigger Splash” - "Call Me By Your Name" is successful in so many ways but no more so in it’s ability to transcend the LGBT label with which many gay films are bestowed. Here, in his most personal film, a mainstream appeal is evident from it’s portrayal of a same sex couple which is both as erotic and sensuous as any heterosexual depiction of love in recent memory.

Though the director, along with screenwriter James Ivory, removed a large amount of nudity from the original novel, there’s still a rampant strain of admiration for the male form throughout the picture. For one, Oliver and Elio’s father Mr Perlman (Stuhlbarg) analyze Greek statues on numerous occasions, reiterating the films dedication to the theme of desire. In addition to this, the beaming sunshine allows our titular characters to wear nothing but bathing suits for large portions of the film, and the experienced director never says away from shining a wide-eye on the impressive torso of the male lead Armie Hammer and others.

Supporting performances from the always magnificent Michael Stuhlbarg as Elio’s father add real resonance to the piece, as are the turns from Amira Casar as Elio’s fleeting girlfriend Annella, with whom every confrontation and assignation mean more to her than to Elio - who isn’t able to compute his affections with her in the midst of the contemptuous love affair he currently resides in with Oliver. If films are meant to teach us life lessons, whether explicitly intended to or not, a devastating final sequence between Elio and his father assuages all of your preconceptions about understanding and acceptance. It’s up for debate if Elio’s parents are fully complicit in his sexual awakening or not, yet this monologue from Michael Stuhlbarg is the conversation many men have hoped and prayed to receive during a time in their lives where being different is viewed upon as a weakness. It’s a breathtaking and moving sequence which is only equalled in its brilliance by the quality of the performances. "Call Me By Your Name" has lived in my memory since my first viewing, and even after my third, fourth and fifth, it will still feel as fresh and vivacious as it did upon my premiere viewing.

A coming-of-age tale that draws your attention from the very first scene, with characters you believe in and are willing to accompany on a journey of sexual odyssey, "Call Me By Your Name" is one of the best films of the year. After "Moonlight" of last year and "Carol" of the year before, if LGBT stories can continue in the calibre of these three, you can take my money right now.

Rating 5/5