Call Me By Your Name

I first saw Luca Guadagnino's "Call Me By Your Name"" back in September and simultaneously fell madly in love with the film and yet felt a bit cheated by a perceived tentativeness when it came to the intimate scenes. Full disclosure: I had the foreknowledge that James Ivory's original draft of the screenplay was much more faithful to the Andr� Aciman novel when it came to the very first love scene, as well as stated nudity. In addition, Ivory lamented the fact that both lead actors had it in their contracts that they were not to be seen fully naked. (There are two quick butt shots, one right after the other, as if boxes were being checked.)

At the New York Film Festival Guadagnino, who has never shied away from nudity in his previous films (particularly, "A Bigger Splash"), seemed slightly perturbed by the limitation and blamed the powers that be for it.

Certainly, the conversation about the double standard we have in the U.S. about depicting male nudity vs. female nudity -- as well as (and especially) name actors in gay-themed films -- is a vital one, But I also realize the work should be examined on its own merits. So, on my second viewing, I did my best to toss away the baggage and simply let the movie wash over me. And it's a pretty exhilarating experience.

"Call Me By Your Name" is many different things, but it is first and foremost a triumphant and transcendent exploration of same-sex love.

The last time the story of a gay male teen's coming out/coming of age/coming to terms/and just coming was portrayed with such perspicacious nuance and detailed complexity was in David Moreton's "Edge of Seventeen," made in 1998 but taking place in 1984 in Ohio. "Call Me By Your Name" is set in 1983, "Somewhere in Northern Italy."

Our protagonist, Elio (Timoth�e Chalamet), is a well-educated, musically gifted, cultured, curious and clever boy (basically, he'd be at home in most Merchant-Ivory films) who wants to bang his own drum, but is trying to figure out exactly the kind of drum he wishes to bang. Also, like most teens, he's looking for validation and grappling with self-esteem issues. And, like most teen boys, he's a walking sack of raging hormones.

Elio is a European teen, which means he actually loves and gets along with his parents, he isn't ashamed of the town he lives in and has no issues with hanging out with his family on any given night and enjoying it. I can attest to the Italian sensibility when it comes to all of the above, and the film gets it right. Elio is not sullen and petulant like most American teens (I know, a broad generalization, so sue me!).

His "crush" begins in a subtle manner and takes its time to manifest, but it leads to so many rich cinematic rewards thanks to James Ivory's perfectly paced, multi-layered screenplay. Elio's infatuation is with 24-year-old grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer), a towering, well-sculpted, uber-masculine presence who has arrived to help assist Elio's professor father (Michael Stuhlbarg) with his research.

It's tricky to tell who is smitten with whom first, as the characters play fascinating mind games with one another and the filmmakers tease us with the kind of suspense that comes more from the chemistry the couple share than with plot machinations. Even when Oliver and Elio are "romancing" women, there is an odd sensual continuum that leads right back to the two and their budding relationship, which includes a bond over their shared Judaism. Oliver wears a Star of David necklace that fascinates Elio. When Elio mentions that he and his family are among the only Jews in town, Oliver quips that he's used to being the "odd Jew out."

Elio acts a bit of a guide for Oliver. He's spent many a summer at his family's roomy, yet cozy villa in this unnamed town (filmed in Lombardy) and the locals are like extended relations. They include his childhood girlfriend Marzia (Esther Garrel), who is deeply enamored with Elio. Alas, Elio's romantic interests lie elsewhere, which doesn't mean he isn't up for some carnal escapades with her; after all, he's 17. And in a scene destined to become a classic, Elio's erotic yearnings lead him to experiment with a peach. Later, when Oliver arrives on the scene and figures out what the boy's been up to, Elio is ashamed, but Oliver is quick to assure him that there's nothing wrong with his behavior.

When the two finally do act on their desires, you may find yourself breathing a loud sigh of relief. The careful and prudent Oliver is apprehensive at first, but gives in to the attraction. Lucky for the film, coming out at this particular time when Weinstein/Spacey-gate has overwhelmed our culture, the 17-year-old is most eager and more than willingly consents to the initially tentative 24-year-old. But anyone bogging down over the age difference is missing the bigger picture. (And just in case, the age of consent in Italy is 14.) Regardless, the film presents a mature young man who clearly knows what he wants.

Guadagnino's filmic gaze is unmistakably clear. He shoots Elio the way Eric Rohmer photographs his young female leads (as well as so many heterosexual filmmakers who shamelessly view women through their drooling lenses -- the list is endless). It's refreshing to see a director who isn't afraid to turn the sexual tables. Elio is shirtless when we first see him, and the camera adores the boy and his body throughout the film.

Timoth�e Chalamet is absolutely beguiling as Elio. The actor fearlessly embodies the boy and his quirks and idiosyncrasies, and perfectly captures that upper middle class, European-hybrid-teen needing to figure out his sexuality and not wanting to let an opportunity vanish. In the scene where he finally tries to tell Oliver about his feelings he confesses, "I know very little about the things that matter." It's a sweet, but also inviting, moment.

Chalamet gives us a rather heroic young gay figure, someone who isn't filled with self-hatred and self-pity, but who is just trying to figure it all out. (Make sure you stay for the end credits to be further astonished by his heartbreaking turn).

Stuhlbarg delivers an emotional wallop of a speech near the end of the film that should guarantee him an Oscar nomination.

Hammer's role is a bit more complicated. He certainly oozes charm, but something felt forced -- not just about his sexuality, but also in my believing he was a scholar. Even his dancing with abandon felt unconvincing. He just seemed uncomfortable. But then I wondered if that feeling wasn't deliberately sought. Oliver is uncomfortable -- with his sexuality, in his life, in his own skin. But he should feel comfortable with Elio. No? Perhaps, no. Perhaps that's the point. Oliver will never feel comfortable with either sex. And maybe I need a third viewing to make up my mind.

Bringing the controversy back, for a moment, the two lead actors were certainly game and ready to mess around, kiss and show real intimacy and passion, and that is what really matters. The pan to the window during the first sex scene still feels like a copout, but one with a point. I have the feeling that decision was Guadagnino's clever protest against whoever wanted a less racy film that might be more appropriate for general audiences.

The joke is on them, though, since the peach scene and the moment of sheer ecstasy where Elio places Oliver's shorts over his head and inhales his fragrance is by far sexier and nastier than shots of penises could ever be.

I do want to mention that the way the film is being marketed screams of straight washing, with TV commercials that make it look like both guys are dating women. And watching that self-absorbed idiot Jimmy Fallon interview Chalamet the other night, the fact that the film was gay-themed was never mentioned, nor was anything about the same-sex love story. Fallon seemed to fall over himself to not say anything about it, acting as if the gay part was some kind of "Crying Game" type of surprise not to be given away instead of the heart and soul of the film. In this day and age, that isn't just appalling; it's unconscionable.

It's curious to note that sometime after the film bowed at Sundance earlier this year; the screenplay credits changed from being credited to Ivory, Guadagnino and Walter Fasano to solely crediting Ivory.

Baggage notwithstanding, "Call Me By Your Name" is one of 2017's best films.