Not your usual love story
MANILA, Philippines — Sure, we’ve seen romantic stories that started when boy meets girl and they fall in love, even amidst all odds. However, it’s never called “ordinary” when two individuals of the same sex experience love. Still, it’s the same feeling expressed and emotions felt.
Director Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-nominated opus, Call Me By Your Name, is a coming-of-age drama about a teenage boy, Elio, who starts an extra-ordinary yet unforgettable relationship with his family’s visitor, Oliver. The latter is a good-looking and towering research assistant, a graduate student from the US who works for Elio’s dad, Mr. Perlman, an archaeology professor.
The romantic setting of Call Me By Your Name is in Lombardy, Northern Italy in 1983. The two lead actors — 22-year-old Timothee Chalamet had to excellently pass off as a 17-year-old teenager and 31-year-old Armie Hammer is a 24-year-old student — surprisingly exude screen chemistry as lovers. Seeing them together exchanging secret glances on to their sensuous kissing scenes is definitely not awkward. The scenes also don’t make one easily cringe.
From Day One, when Elio saw Oliver arrive in the former’s idyllic summer house, what Elio felt was undeniably young love that he unabashedly pursued. Elio’s desire for Oliver stemmed from their daily bonding — swimming in the villa’s pool and even the beach to biking together and listening to music. Yet, one cannot discount the fact that it is true love, with Elio’s deep longing for Oliver.
“Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine,” were sweet words that Oliver whispered to Elio while they secretly made love. Such lines will stick to the minds of the viewers, even if one is not in love.
Young as he is, Elio may not be the perfect adolescent to convey his feelings and understand every move or advances of Oliver. Yet, Elio responds, as intense as what he feels. His annual, boring summer was altered big time by Oliver. Undoubtedly, Elio will treasure beautiful memories of one summer, six weeks that are enough to last him a lifetime.
Elio’s parents — actors Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar — are no doubt proud about their son, yet the dad understood Elio when Oliver eventually returns to America. After all, Elio and Oliver had “a beautiful friendship.” Perhaps, just as the dad emphasized in his heart-tugging monologue, “More than a friendship.”
Call Me By Your Name reminded viewers of such critically-acclaimed films with similar themes like Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, as well as Gus Van Sant’s true-to-life account about Milk, with Sean Penn in the title role and James Franco as his much younger lover.
The heart-wrenching music created by Sufjan Stevens for Call Me By Your Name, particularly Mystery of Love, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Two other songs that Stevens penned — Visions of Gideon and Futile Devices — made it to the film’s soundtrack.
Call Me By Your Name is nominated in three other categories — Best Picture, Best Actor for Chalamet and Best Adapted Screenplay for James Ivory, who culled the story from Andre Aciman’s 2007’s novel of the same title.
