Call Me By Your Name is a drama/coming of age/love story set in 1983 that has been receiving rave reviews. It's one of those ones where everyone I know and respect who has seen it has loved it, setting me expectations sky high. There's also that Best Picture (drama) Golden Globe nomination to consider!
I did enjoy this - you'd be made of stone if you didn't - but I confess I wasn't as moved by the love story as I expected to be. I think that's likely a reflection of my expectations rather than the film, which is really lovely.
The film is told through the eyes of Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a 17 year old American who is spending the summer of 1983 in a 17th Century villa in northern Italy with his French mother and American father who is researching Greco-Roman archaeology.
Elio's father invites an American student working on his own doctorate, Oliver (Armie Hammer), to join the family for the summer to help with his research and a beautiful relationship develops between Oliver and Elio. Both are having relationships with women in town at the time but it's clear theirs is the relationship that holds to the most meaning for them. It's complex, as you can imagine, but it's navigated by the film makers in a sensitive way and Elio and particularly Oliver as the older of the two, tread oh so carefully while acknowledging their feelings.
As the film was nearing conclusion and I was feeling very aware and a little disappointed that I had not been as moved by it as I expected, Oliver's father delivers a monologue that really stepped things up a gear and brought a tear to my eye. It was affecting in a way I didn't expect and had hoped the rest of the film would be.
No spoilers here about how the relationship unfolds but this is one I'd happily recommend so see it and let me know what you reckon!
Here's a five star review from News Ltd and a three star review from Fairfax but for what it's worth, my own view is somewhere in the middle, settling around four stars if we were giving them out.
Trailer here. In cinemas now.