(Dir. Lucas Guadagnino 2018)
R, This movie is visually stunning and beautiful, but keep in mind what it is about before you decide to go see it. This is not something you want to walk into blind. Call Me By Your Name is a coming of age story that depicts the relationship between Elio and Oliver, a grad student of Elio's father. The story takes place entirely from Elio's point of view and is set in the Italian countryside in the 1980s. Before I get into anything else I'll address the age difference between Elio and Oliver. I can definitely see why the age difference causes concern in people and honestly I'd be worried if someone didn't find the age difference concerning. The full first half of this movie basically covers this struggle. Within the film, Oliver goes through those same concerns and inner turmoil, though they are very toned down due to the fact that the film is from Elio's point of view. To Elio, the age difference is not that big of a deal. He willfully ignores Oliver's struggles over the morality of the relationship. Part of this I think is due to Elio wanting to be an adult and to be viewed as an adult. His relationship with Oliver is his final step into the realm of adulthood and is a demand from him to be seen as an adult by others. The other part I think is a cultural difference. The age of consent in Italy is much younger than the US. I'm not saying that a relationship with a young child is ok just because it's legal, but it is indicative of a culture that is much more tolerant of age differences in a relationship. I would also like to note that at no point is the relationship between the two abusive in any way. The relationship between the two is definitely awkward at times. As an audience, expect to feel awkward and uncomfortable at times. This movie does not shy away from the clumsiness of a new relationship and is very honest about it. I would not call this movie a loss of innocence as much as a loss of naivety. Elio has been raised in a household that is very loving and accepting. Oliver comments how jealous he is of the relationship that Elio has with his family. Again, the audience doesn't get the full picture of this, as the film is from Elio's point of view, but it is heavily implied here that Oliver's family is much less accepting. I'm not sure how much of this is cultural, considering that Oliver is American and Elio is Italian, or if it is just Elio's family in particular. ***Spoilers***This also explains David's call at the end of the film and his decision to get married. At this point he has left the bubble of safety and acceptance that surrounds Elio in his home and is now back to trying to live up to his family's expectations. This is where the loss of naivety comes in for Elio. He has now been introduced to life outside his bubble. The other more universal experience Elio faces here is the loss of his first love. Elio's father covers this perfectly in a very moving speech he gives to Elio after Oliver leaves. Essentially his father tells him not to close himself off to new love after experiencing his first heartbreak. These emotions hurt, but it is better to have them than to feel nothing. The movie's overall message is about how first love tends to be the purest kinds. When you love without ever having had your heartbroken or experienced the difficult parts of a relationship, it is easy to love completely and wholeheartedly. After one experiences this however, it is hard to fully open yourself up to someone again. What Elio's father tells him is to not fear that openness despite the possible heartbreak. Sort of "it is better to have loved and lost" sort of thing. The cinematography of this film is absolutely stunning. It was filmed in Crema in the Italian countryside, which is absolutely gorgeous to begin with and I would love to visit there. Call Me By Your name was shot on 35 mm film, which makes it look almost like it's from the eighties, but it does not compromise the quality of the film. I haven't found anything about this yet, but it seems to me like a majority of this film was done using natural light. The sun almost becomes another character with how bright and pervasive it is. It's hard to believe that this was filmed during the rainiest summer in Italy in a century. Talk about bad luck. I generally hate the eighties, this movie made me like it. The old Italian cars and the general aesthetic of this movie is absolutely amazing and lends itself to the plot so well. Every scene in this movie could honestly be a painting, it's all so gorgeous. It's so fitting that Sufjan Stevens wrote music for this movie because it honestly feels like one of his songs made into a film. Beautiful and bright, but melancholic at the same time.
1 Comment
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Aubrey KirchhoffI'm just screaming into the void and somehow getting graded on it. Archives
April 2018
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