 |
| Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer in "Call Me By Your Name" (2017) |
One of the most highly anticipated films of the year and has received unanimous acclaim from international critics, "Call Me By Your Name" (2017) Luca Guadagnino's adaptation of the 2007 novel of the same name by André Aciman, had it's Philippine premiere last November 18, 2017 in Trinoma as part of the World Cinema section of this year's Cinema One Originals. The romantic coming-of-age drama film will be screened in four select cinemas in Metro Manila, and most of these screenings are sold-out already.
Everyone, including me, has been looking forward to seeing this film since it was announced to be part of the 2017 Cinema One Originals. Therefore, this will be a special review since this is the first foreign film I will be writing about here in my blog. Yes, this film is that special. Set in Italy in 1983, Call Me by Your Name chronicles the romantic relationship between a 17-year-old Italian-American, Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), and his father's American student, Oliver (Armie Hammer). It serves as the third and final installment in Guadagnino's Desire trilogy, following I Am Love (2009) and A Bigger Splash (2015).
It's the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel). Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio's sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.
One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Luca Guadagnino has been internationally renowned for his critically-acclaimed films for quite some time now. But to be honest, I haven't seen any of his past works before, making Call Me By Your Name the first. I am planning to check out his previous film, A Bigger Splash, starring Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, and Matthias Schoenaerts and I've been looking forward to his 2018 remake of Dario Argento’s cult classic horror film, Suspiria,starring Tilda Swinton, Chloe Grace Moretz and Dakota Johnson. Because I am not very familiar with his works, I really had no idea what to expect with Call Me By Your Name. To reiterate, I haven't read the book by André Aciman, therefore I am not in the right position to say whether this was a good adaptation or not. But judging it as a movie that I have seen in the cinema, I can confidently say that this is one of the year's best films.
I love the slow build-up of Elio and Oliver's relationship, with Elio at first resenting the latter for his American ways (like his unusual way of bidding goodbye with "later"). Eventually, he starts to become curious with this American stranger, until his curiosity develops into an attraction. It kinda reminds me of my favorite film, Petersen Vargas' 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten where the main character Felix who was originally curious about his new Fil-Am classmate Magnus, and ends up developing feelings for him. As his attraction starts to get get stronger each day (he starts secretly entering Oliver's room and smelling his underwear and thinking of him while masturbating), he is unsure whether he should tell the latter his true feelings. His parents advised him to do so, and when he does, it was poetic. Oliver soon reciprocates his feeling for him, thus starting a love story doomed to end once the summer ends.
The way all of this things unfold is what makes Call Me By Your Name different from most romantic coming-of-age films nowadays. The film doesn't rush it's story. Instead, it takes it time in letting it's main characters realize their true feelings for one another. The audience is left waiting and wanting them to be together, and when they do, it's beautiful. This could not have worked if not for the film's two amazing leads. Timothée Chalamet gives Elio that pale, young, fragile look which perfectly matches Armie Hammer's Oliver- vibrant, carefree, and masculine. The two of them looks good together. and whenever they play and flirt around in one scene from another, the screen is oozing with their chemistry.
Timothée Chalamet's portrayal of Elio was so raw and honest. The way his body moves, whenever he's dancing while walking around or whenever he's just alone in his room or when he is around with his friends, he is Elio and he definitely owns the role. The way he looks at Oliver, you can really see and feel the desire and emotions in his eyes. These are the same eyes that will break your heart in the film's finale. Armie Hammer partners this with his fun and vibrant performance as Oliver. He is believable as a scholar, and he wows everyone in one particular scene where he carefully explains the history of a name of a fruit. And once the two of them join together in one scene, it is explosive. The frame is burning with so much intensity and sexiness even before they start undressing. This may be the year's sexiest movie, way more titillating than the latest sequel of the Fifty Shades movies.
It's good to know that Guadagnino wasn't actually interested in sex in the movie. It was the same reason why he had to edit a lot of sexually explicit scenes in the film's original draft. According to him, he just wants to focus on two people having a moment. He wanted the audience to completely rely on the emotional travel of these people and feel first love And he did. And he did it so well that even if there were no explicit nudity from the two leads nor hardcore sex scenes happening onscreen, the picture still ended up scorching hot.
Luca Guadagnino also transports us into the hot summer of 1983 somewhere in Northern Italy with the film's beautiful soundtrack and luscious cinematography. The music matches the atmosphere of the film, nostalgic, wistful and will leave you longing for the yesteryear. The cinematography is so stunning. Each scene is blooming with colors and lights, making the picture look so crisp and real. You can really feel heat of the summer afternoons and feel the coolness of the refreshing water in the river with the film's cinematography. From the village of Crema, Lombardy to the quiet dirt roads where the two characters rides their bike, every single location comes to life with the long, luscious camera works. I especially liked the shots in the lake scene where Elio, his father and Oliver went to check out some pieces of antiquity recovered from the lake. The scene was so brightly lit that when they showed a close-up shot of the water, it felt like it was going to splash out of the screen. It was that gorgeous.
I also loved the script, penned by James Ivory. It was so poetic and memorable that you'd want to hear it over and over it. From the beautiful advises received by Elio from Amira Casar's Annella, his mother to the heartfelt revelations by Michael Stuhlbarg's Mr. Lyle, his father towards the end of the film, every word was divine.
"We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!"
-says Mr. Lyle to Elio in one of the scenes. These words, although beautifully written, are also painfully true.
" Nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot." I agree.
Then, just when you thought you could already breathe out of all the sadness of the film comes one of the most heart-wrenching post-credits scene in recent memory. God, Timothée Chalamet sure is a heart breaker. Call Me By Your Name is already a cult classic in the making. A film sure to steal all the trophies from the upcoming awards season. Luca Guadagnino's romantic coming-of-age story is an honest, sultry, poignant and beautiful portrayal of a boy's first love.
Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5
"Call Me By Your Name" (2017)
Directed by Luca Guadagnino, starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer
No comments:
Post a Comment