Friday, January 19, 2018

FILM REVIEW: Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

* * * *

How vividly I recall those lazy summer days as a hermit of a child, making absolutely nothing of significance out of those summer vacations we children coveted so much. As an adult, there’s a sweetness to look back on those days of no responsibility and little to no worries. At the same time, though, we let those summers pass us by, taking every day for granted, and it’s all over much too quickly.

I was reminded of these days as I sat and watched Call Me by Your Name, one of the finest films of 2017. To write this review at this point is perhaps a redundancy – it’s already been talked about time and time again, and it’s already cliché to say it’s one of 2017’s best. Living in Tucson, however, has rendered me unable to see it until now (today was opening day). Interestingly enough, I was worried I wasn’t going to be one of those singing its praises.

It doesn’t open on any particular gripping note. It’s the summer of ’83. We meet a Jewish family of three living in the Italian countryside. Oliver, a friend of the family (and assistant to the father’s research project), pulls up one morning, bags in hand, exhausted from a long day of travel. His arrival catches the attention of the teenaged Elio, who looks down on Oliver’s arrival like lonesome royalty in a high tower. They all sit down for lunch, catching up. Elio extends an offer to show Oliver around town, which is blurted out in that suggests catharsis of some bottled-up energy. Oliver accepts.

So, they begin bonding. Oliver develops a liking to Elio, who reveals himself to be rather intelligent and insightful for his age, an avid reader and a gifted pianist. In spite of this, there’s always a cavalier attitude about them, resulting in two people who don’t seem particularly interesting (let alone protagonists for a film). They go on about their days, biking, running errands, all in the fashion of classic summer mundanity – yet underneath their interactions lies a tension, almost like two wild animals circling each other, both ready for the other to pounce.

Elio makes no secret of the feelings he has developed for Oliver. He denies Elio, but not without sympathy – he shares an intimate moment with Elio one afternoon, perhaps as an understanding of teenage sexual confusion. However, he cuts off this moment very quickly, and they move on about their business. Sometimes, feelings cannot be ignored, and Oliver won’t be here forever. He gives in. They make love. Oliver’s final days in Italy make for ones neither he nor Elio will never forget. Too bad it has to end (and so quickly). Elio is devastated.

What Call Me by Your Name captures so well is the inner turmoil of romantic uncertainty, subsequently making it an incredibly moving experience. I think it’s fair to say we’ve all met an Oliver at some point in our lives – that person who seems to embody, without exposition, everything we idealize and dearly desire in a relationship. Then fear strikes us. Do they like us back? Are they raising green flags for us to pounce, per se, or are we being overly-analytical? Let’s say we do decide to pounce – could we handle possible rejection from our ideal mate? Say we aren’t rejected, and the relationship does happen – what if it comes to an end earlier than we would like? We let these thoughts circle over and over in our minds, and before we know it, we’ve lost our chance.

However, it is often said: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

In contrast to its melancholy, Call Me by Your Name does express just as well how sweet those interactions were with that particular person, regardless of how long they might have lasted. Most noteworthy is a scene involving an apricot. I dare not spoil the details, but I assure you will know it when you see it, but within its brevity it captures all the intimate wonder of such a relationship. Within the span of just a few minutes (it felt like less than five), the scene seamlessly transitions from sexual awkwardness, ensuing hilarity, titillation, but ultimately results in tears of sexual confusion.

The setting of summertime and all of its inertia is perfectly fitting, and how appropriate that the film ends on a snowy winter day as Chanukah approaches. Just prior to the finale, there is a conversation between Elio and his father (perhaps the best scene in the film). He understands his son’s loss, and reminds him “Our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart is worn out.” The final shot of the film is a close-up of Elio, still taking everything in. Summer ‘83 has passed him by.


But who knows what Summer '84 will bring?

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