Call Me by Your Name

Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A seventeen-year old boy (Timothee Chalamet) falls in love with an older man (Armie Hammer) living with his family in Italy.

Review:

Tim: Call Me by Your Name is such a beautiful, poignant movie. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and it won one, Best Adapted Screenplay. I'd say the Academy certainly got this one right, because this is easily one of the best movies of 2017. I'm always so impressed when a movie is able to tell a story that feels authentic and human. This movie never feels like it was Hollywoodized. It's an emotional, memorable movie that captures a love story between two men in a plausible, mature way. I really, really liked this movie.

The film is helped by some remarkable performances. Most noteworthy is Timothee Chalamet, a 23-year old actor (who looks younger) who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. That's a heck of an achievement and it's so deserving because he gives this believable, touching performance. His performance never feels like he's acting- it all comes across so naturally as you slowly care more and more about him. It's really a remarkable performance from someone so young. While Chalamet is fantastic, I have to give Armie Hammer immense credit as well. I think the Academy could have recognized him as well, because his performance was wonderful and so essential to the overall film. Hammer is similarly believable in the role and he's so likable. You just develop this appreciation for the character. The writing was good, but Hammer brings real emotion to the role. He works extremely well with Chalamet. These two men both give incredible performances. I loved watching them interact. The movie is greatly helped by an easy-to-overlook performance by Michael Stuhlbarg. I truly believe the Academy could have recognized him. His role is small, but is performance is so, so good. He's in the margins of the film but every second of screen time he has makes the movie better. It's funny to reflect on how great he was, but he exists in the shadows of the more visible great performances from Chalamet and Hammer. Still, Stuhlbarg makes his mark- I loved his performance.

I also need to heap immense amounts of credit on director Luca Guadagnino. I haven't seen any of his other movies, but I might need to seek them out. He directs the film brilliantly, allowing space for his characters to develop. The movie never feels rushed, but he doesn't allow the story to stall out. The film is a bit long at 2 hours and 12 minutes but remarkable- it never feels that long. His direction pulls you into the story and the characters, so that the film feels like it flies by. I could have kept watching even more. His directorial effort is a great reminder that you can make a movie as long as you want, as long as it holds your attention throughout. That's easy to say, hard to do- but Guadagnino pulls it off.

I have to comment on the subject matter of the film- it might still be slightly controversial for a film like this to exist- it's a gay love story between a 24-year old man and 17-year old. This isn't nearly as controversial or cutting edge as a movie like Brokeback Mountain was, but it's still not something you see all that often. I appreciate the film because it captures the experience of a large percentage of humanity, yet it's not one we often get to see depicted on the big screen. I do appreciate that movies like this normalize a story that still far too many Americans find abhorrent or sinful. This movie is about an honest human emotion- love. That's all that matters. It helps that Call Me by Your Name is a remarkably well made movie. I thoroughly loved watching it and include it among the very best films of 2017.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Brokeback Mountain, I Am Love