“Call Me By Your Name,” released in late 2017, is a beautiful film with an amazing soundtrack and artful cinematography. With no doubt, the film is worth its three Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay.   
The film stars Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, who play lovers, and is set in Italy in the early 1980’s. The location can be described as magical, with its bright colors and beautiful scenery. Director Luca Guadagnino is not new to Hollywood. Notable films include also directed “A Bigger Splash”, “I Am Love” and “Suspiria” which is to be released later in 2018.
The movie is a gay romance story, but is different than most films about members of the LGBT community. The plot of the movie is not centered around gay issues, or the process of “coming out”, but is simply centered around the love that the two characters have for each other. The film follows the 17-year-old son of an Italian professor, named Elio, played by Timothée Chalamet. Elio’s father hosts an intern from America every summer for six weeks, and this intern lives the life of an Italian while sometimes helping the professor with his work. The intern becomes part of the family for these six weeks, and Elio is used to this routine, until Oliver, played by Armie Hammer, arrives to his family’s home.
Each actor brings along a different element to the movie, which creates a perfect balance between each character’s personality. Chalamet is a 22-year-old actor, 21 during the filming of the movie, and plays the 17-year-old love interest in the film, Elio. Elio seeks excitement throughout the film. He is paired with the 31-year-old Armie Hammer, who is better known than Chalamet. Hammer plays the 24-year-old summer visitor named Oliver, and the other love interest. Oliver is an ambitious young man with a desire to have fun while gathering as much knowledge as possible. Hammer and Chalamet work extremely well together, and their acting is almost harmonious.
Part of what made the characters so believable was the actor’s dedication. Chalamet lived in Italy before the filming of the movie started, where he learned to speak Italian and French, play the guitar, and play the piano for his character.
Elio and Oliver, fall in love over the summer, and the story follows their attempts to suppress their love for each other. Neither one wants to accept the way they feel, but in the end it is inevitable. The characters’ unique dynamic matched with the beautiful scenery of Crema, Italy creates a nostalgic tone and a feeling of longing for anyone watching.
The characters on their own are beautifully portrayed as well. With Elio’s artistic and longing personality perfectly pairing with Oliver’s ambition and confidence, the two create an amazing dynamic duo.
Part of what made the movie so beautiful is the cinematography. Vibrant colors of blues and greens that scream summer. The use of reds and yellows also keep it warm and bright.
“Call Me By Your Name” is an artistic way of storytelling with both a well thought out color scheme and developed characters. The movie leaves the LGBT community with a feeling of hope for a future of movies portraying LGBT love stories as honest and simple. These films make the watchers feel validated.