Call Me By Your Name

"Call Me By Your Name" isn't the kind of movie I normally would go rush out an see in the theater, but I kept hearing buzz about how great it was and how different it tackled certain subjects that I decided to give it a go. It's definitely a different kind of movie, but that shouldn't be something to put against it in any way. At a time where Hollywood is putting out a constant stream of remakes, sequels, comic book adaptations and reboots, movies like these are the ones I look forward to the most. The reason that is, is because I want to see more original stories. Not to say those previously mentioned movies are all bad, in fact some are really great, but it's just nice to see something that's not a part of that once in a while.

"Call Me By Your Name" takes place in Italy and follows a 17 year old boy named Elio during the summer of 1983. His father hires an intern every year to help him with his work, and this time it's a young american named Oliver. Throughout the summer young Elio and Oliver become slowly drawn to each other over time as they form a connection that will change their lives forever. It's a story that moves along very slowly throughout the movie, building up over time as you see both characters slowly making their way towards each other's lives. This works so well because of the great performances by Armie Hammer and newcomer Timothee Chalamet, both have amazing chemistry with each other and it really takes the movie to another level. The rest of the cast does a great job as well and i'm sure the writing has a lot to do with that too.

The movie is also beautifully shot and is just a pleasure to look at from start to finish. The landscape of Italy is very beautiful on own it's own, but the shots just elevate that along with the story that's going on in the movie. It really helps those slower moments of the movie when you have beautiful scenery to look at as well. There are moments in the movie that are pretty ordinary, like Elio writing sheet music or reading a book that could have easily felt out of place or unnecessary, but instead make sense in this story and help build the character of Elio.

A lot of people might find this movie boring, and I know it's not something everyone will enjoy as much as maybe I did. As I said before, it's a very slow build throughout the movie and there really aren't any big explosive moments, at least not until the very end, but it's more emotionally explosive than anything else. It's a story about first love and the emotions that comes with that and the movie does that very, very well. The movie felt a bit on the long side (because of the slow build), but by the end I understood why the film maker did that and I felt the emotions that the characters felt too. The story doesn't play out the way I thought it would, there are certain moments you expect in a movie like this that don't even come up. I found it refreshing to see this kind of story play out in a different way than usual, but still have the same emotional impact. It's a good movie with great performances and great cinematography, one that needs a little patience to be enjoyed and rewards that patience with a strong third act. 

Overall Grade: B