Call Me by Your Name — Plot Discussion
This week we are discussing the beautiful movie called Call Me by Your Name.
This screenplay, written and co-produced by James Ivory, is based on André Aciman’s novel Call Me by Your Name, which was released in 2007. The movie was directed by Luca Guadagnino and starred Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, who portrayed Elio and Oliver.
What was intended to be a small indie film, with a budget of $3.5 million, turned out to become a huge hit, generating close to $42 million in box office sales. Moreover, the movie received countless nominations, as well as three Oscar nominations, of which James Ivory won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Today, we will be discussing the movie’s plot, so let’s get started.
The Story
The story is set in beautiful northern Italy, in 1983. Elio Perlman, an American/French 17 year old, is spending his summer break with his parents at their Italian residence. His father is an archeologist who, every summer, hires a grad student to help him with his research. This year, this student is Oliver from New England, USA. Over the course of this summer, the two boys fall in love and enjoy their time together until Oliver has to leave.
What I love most about the story is that we get to see two people genuinely fall in love with each other. Moreover, the story allows them to do so without any drama or issues, there are no disapproving parents, no wife back home, no nothing.
When They First Met
The movie jumps right into Oliver’s arrival, giving the viewer very little insight into what is happening and what Oliver is doing at the Perlman residence. However, it is clear that from the beginning, Elio seems to have his eye on Oliver, even though he appeared more annoyed than happy. He didn’t necessarily seem happy about having to give up his bedroom, nor about the fact that Oliver skipped dinner. He also told his parents that Oliver’s constant ‘later’, which ended up becoming his catchphrase, seemed rude to him.
I believe there could be two reasons why he didn’t necessarily seem happy about Oliver being there. Firstly, I can image Elio being annoyed by having this new person every year intrude his summer and being around him all the time. Secondly, he might have liked Oliver a lot already, which is why he tried to protect himself by being rude, hoping it would help him stay away from him. Moreover, we don’t know if this was the first time Elio catches feelings for another man, meaning that his responses could also be him being scared and unsure of his feelings.
However, his attitude quickly changes, as Elio even offers to show Oliver around the city. Over the coming days, the two start to spend a lot of time together. The relationship further develops when to two start to exchange small touches here and there. As the story focuses on Elio, we quickly get to see how he starts to like Oliver, going through his stuff and even smelling his shorts.
Sexual Intimacy
Sexual intimacy plays a big role in this movie, as we not only get to see Elio sleep with Marzia and Oliver, but see Elio masturbate on two separate occasions. I do have to say that some of the sexual interactions between Elio and Oliver seem a bit odd or awkward, especially when Elio just keeps his mouth open when Olivers wants to kiss him, and then proceeds to licking his face. Or when Elio tries to jump up on Oliver during their first night together. But these scenes simply reflect the playfulness the two have, as well as showcase the awkwardness that most teens feel when they experience their first intimate moments.
The Journal
Another important scene is Elio’s journal scene. While it is very short, we get a pretty good insight into Elio’s mind, as he writes sentences like ‘I was too harsh’ and ‘I thought he didn’t like me’. It shows that he realised that he might have been ‘too harsh’ towards Oliver and that he in fact didn’t think Oliver liked him — which is probably why he was so cold towards him, trying to protect himself.
The Tale of the Knight
Another beautiful moment was the scene where Elio’s mother, Annella, tells Elio and his father, Samuel, the story about the Knight who had to choose between speaking or dying. This tale perfectly fits into the story, as Elio too is thinking about either speaking up and telling Oliver about his feelings, or to keep them hidden and, while not die, be very unhappy. It also mentions the aspect of friendship hindering love, which again hints towards Elio and Oliver’s relationship. As they have created a very special friendship, it leads them to fear showing their real feelings, not wanting to jeopardise their friendship.
This tale also allows us viewers to get a feel for Oliver’s feelings. When Elio tells him about the knight’s story, Olivers wants to know whether the knight chooses to speak or die. It feels like, in this moment, Oliver too is contemplating what to do about his feelings, hoping that Elio would answer with speak, indicating that either Elio wants to come forwards, or that he is hoping for Oliver to confess his feelings.
At the Plaza
One of the most important scenes in their relationship is the scene at the city’s plaza, when Elio first indicates that he might like Oliver a bit more than just a friend. However important that scene is, it is funny to see how ambiguous the scene and the dialogue is. For me, as a viewer, it felt like I had missed out on a huge chunk of the movie, being unsure as to what they were saying or referring to. This uncertainty and ambiguity was certainly a choice, as the dialogue includes sentences such as ‘Are you saying what I think you are saying?’. I really felt quite confused and rewatched the scene multiple times before I could fully get a hold of it.
This puzzling aspect can be observed in different part of the movie, as for example the tension between Elio and Oliver, the day after the dance. I don’t quite get why they were mad at each other and why they then needed to declare truce, as there wasn’t a visible fight or argument. It could be that it was due to the fact that Elio was trying to push Oliver towards Chiara, while Oliver wants to be with Elio. Moreover, the fact that Elio talks about nearly having had sex with Marzia the night before, could have also caused some jealousy in Oliver.
Additionally, we also have the scene at Elio’s favourite place, when they have a conversation in the water. It sometimes really feels like the viewer simply missed out on an important part of the story.
Timeline
We unfortunately don’t really get a feel for the time that passes throughout the movie. We know that Oliver is staying with the Perlmans for 6 weeks, but it is unclear at what point in these 6 weeks the two start to develop their love relationship. If my thinking is correct, the two of them only seem to have had a few days together, possibly a week.
Let me explain: Elio and Oliver spent their first night together, the same day Elio sleeps with Marzia for the second time. A few days later, Marzia shows up and tells Elio that he disappeared and hadn’t reached out to her for 3 days, indicating that since Elio’s first night with Oliver, 3 days must have passed. That same day, Elio’s parents talk about Oliver leaving for a few days to do some research at the university in Bergamo before flying back home. The next scene is already them leaving, assuming that it must have been the same or possibly following day. Elio and Oliver spend a few more days in Bergamo, before Oliver leaves.
So, if my timeline is somewhat accurate, they must have only been together for around 1 week. This would also make sense since the two talk about having wasted so many days, thinking the other one wouldn’t like them that way.
The Love between Elio and his Father
Lastly, we have to talk about the heartwarming scene between Elio and his father at the end of the movie. Oftentimes, movies choose to portray parents who are not supportive of their child’s sexuality, openly expressing their negative feelings. However, this story isn’t one of them, showing how we’d hope all parents would react. Interestingly, throughout the entire scene of Elio coming out to his dad, Elio doesn’t actually say a word. His dad is the one speaking, not in a superior and oppressing way, but in a kind and respectful way. He doesn’t try to lecture Elio, but simply tells him that what he and Olivers seem to have had was very special and unique and that not even him, with Annella, had found the type of love he sees between Elio and Oliver.
The only thing I am unsure off, is why Elio’s father said that Annelle wouldn’t know about the two. Throughout the movie, I got the feeling that she was actually the one suspecting that something was going on. After all, she even suggested that Elio should join Oliver on his final few days, giving them some time together. Moreover, she picked up a crying and devastated Elio from the train station, after Oliver leaves.
Regardless, this scene just shows the unconditional love that parents have for their children and to see this acceptance is just beautiful…making it hard to not shed a tear.
Overall, I really love this movie and thought that it told a beautiful and pure story. I heard a lot about this movie when it first came out, but never actually watched it until now. And, I honestly have to say that I may have watched it more than once.
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This concludes our first discussion on Call Me by Your Name. I hope you enjoyed it and make sure to comment what you liked most about the movie.
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I wish you all a lovely day.
