LIFF31 2017 #2

"Nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot."

There is no doubt how incredibly beautiful "Call Me By Your Name" is. Putting aside your age and sexuality, the film offers more than romance. It's not sad or tragic, but a peaceful one. It's all about falling in love. What's been said by many will be repeated here, so none of this is gonna be new to you, because it's all true.

Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, and newcomer Timothée Chalamet all deliver terrific performances. Not a weak or unconvincing actor in sight. All of them were perfectly cast in the roles and there was no shred of doubt during the emotional parts. Especially Stuhlbarg monologue towards the end is as moving as anything I have ever seen.

The way Luca Guadagnino manages to play on your emotions and present gay romances is really mesmerizing. The warm and summer spectacle of Italy makes you want to be there. With the scenery, sunny waters, and the food which look so good, all through Sayombhu Mukdeeprom brilliant cinematography. It's paradise.

Even the sexual tension never once came across pornographic. I don't mind sex or nudity in movies and people seriously just need to stop being so sensitive about it. Ever thought that making little things a huge deal only makes it a huger deal. Or your sloppy description.

The sexuality in this film is more of an emotional connection you personally experience through the characters. And you don't have to be gay to enjoy those scenes. It avoids the typical tropes you find in movies that isn't as perfectly presented as this.

This is a truly special movie that I easily got lost in.

This is an excellent film which becomes extremely deep and meaningful towards the end. It is a universal love story that is very touching. The acting is phenomenal, especially the last shot of the close up of Timothée Chalamet, as the credits roll. I think we've all been through his emotions, which makes it all the more emotional.

I'd love to mark this film high, but I had to knock off points due to one, pointless, and cruel shot of a fish struggling to breathe. There was absolutely no need for it, and so the torture and pain the fish went through was completely in vain.
And while I appreciate that it was meant to be a slow film for artistic and storytelling purposes, there were moments when it felt a bit too slow. However this is only nitpicking.

The focusing and composition of the camera work and editing was very artistic, which worked well with the feel of the film. Most of the music was very well chosen, but not all of it. The film was so close to being a masterpiece, but never quite made it. Apparently there's gonna be a sequel. I will look forward to seeing it.

I can for the first time in my life say with confidence that I've found my favorite movie.

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This tops the list easily of my most favorites, across genres and everything. It's such a sweet, simple movie that just moved me in ways I can't even explain. I'm one of those people who can't watch popular movies right away because I _know_ I'll be disappointed. I hadn't heard like a _lot_ of this but what I'd heard was pretty amazing. For some reason though, I decided to watch it early.

And oh my, was it worth it.

1) First of all, the entire movie is just stunning to watch. It makes you feel like you're experiencing this Italian summer too.

2) The soundtrack is beautiful.

3) Timothée Chalamet. What. An. Actor. Though. He's barely 22 years old and he is giving so much of himself into this role and this movie, I'm amazed. He really portrays Elio with such respect and care and not to mention, he taught himself piano, guitar and how to speak italian while shooting this movie. Damn boy.

4) Although Armie Hammer's character is (I guess) concidered a side-character or a supporting role, it's still such an important role to fill, and Armie does it beautifully. Just like Timothée, he treats his character with care and respect. Also, his dance moves. A+.

5) And then the most important part - Armie and Timothée's chemistry. That's mostly what people seemed to be talking about when I found this movie and I thought to myself 'it can't be that different from any other couple-on-screen I've ever seen, no matter straight or gay'. But I was so wrong. And that's why this is my favorite movie. Because their chemistry on screen (and also off-screen) is so natural, so visible to everyone who watches this. People talking about their chemistry definitely wasn't joking around. Elio and Oliver is of course beautifully written, and I plan on reading the book later on (I would have done that first if I had known it was based off of a book, but I learned that afterwards), but it wouldn't have been half this good if they didn't click the way these two obviously have done. The acting is smooth, feels natural and it feels like you're observing actual people falling in love.

[spoiler] 6) (Idk if this is considered spoilers but I'm gonna mark it as such just in case LMAO) While I do not dislike sex scenes, it was refreshing that the intimate scenes in this movie wasn't in a big focus. It was there, but it didn't take anything away from the story. It wasn't unnecessary, like some sex scenes might be. Also, let me repeat - chemistry. [/spoiler]

I really really really love this movie, I've been thinking about it for days and I hope people give it a chance. It's definitely worth your time.

A bad attempt on what could have been an unforgettable summer love story. "Call Me by Your Name" fails in every aspect of It. It's dull, empty and forced.
From beginning to end there's no exploration of any kind. The characters don't have the depth they should have which makes the love story lacking dynamism and vivacity.
The first part of the movie is tedious and uninteresting. An hour of unnecessary scenes, that could easily be cut out, with brief dialogs of direct questions/answers, without emotions or sensibility from any character. A missed opportunity to invest in the character denseness and build their relationship. The movie doesn't give enough space for the sensations and attraction between them to evolve and, with that, we end up not caring, at all, with their bonding. All we see is a shallow relationship based, purely, in sexual encounters.
Less is more so it would have been great to see that. Less scenes, less scenarios and less dull actions and conversations. It's a movie that should concentrate merely in the connection between them and not on how beautiful the background is or how kind and aware Elio's parents are. The minor characters are completely pointless and don't bring absolutely nothing to the film.
The only positive aspect is Timothée Chalamat, In the second part of the film. He really pushes Elio's character and ends up with a very solid and strong performance. The ending shot was absolutely breathtaking. Apart from Timothée's acting, Sufjan Stevens enhanced this scene with "Mistery of Love", making one of the best ending scenes of the year. Undeniably, he deserves to win Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards.

Alongside _Weekend_ and _Moonlight_, _Call Me By Your Name_ is the greatest queer film I have seen in the past ten years. It's a gorgeous, quiet masterwork - Luca Guadagnino has given us something truly special here. I'll cherish this one for a long, long time as it's extremely human and very personal. The fact that the legendary James Ivory wrote the screenplay for this shoots this over the top and slam dunks it into the cinematic stratosphere. Truly stunning work that deserves to be remembered, preserved, and celebrated for decades to come.

The performances in this are so mesmerizing. I've never liked Armie Hammer as much as I like him in this. He really embodies his character and it's a lived in, fully realized performance. Timothée Chalamet - who has a great year ahead of him with other big projects - is absolutely captivating as the young lead in this coming-of-age tale. I've seen many a coming-of-age film, but this one is one of the truest portrayals of a gay youth coming to terms with his sexuality, emotions, and his own body.

There are so many phenomenal scenes, but the one that stands out above the rest - and the one that made me cry in a theatre full of festivalgoers - is Michael Stuhlbarg's final monologue. It's one of the most honest and real moments I've seen in any film and one of the best father and son moments too. Crossing my fingers so hard that this becomes a huge critical darling and garners some attention come awards time (specifically for Guadagnino, Ivory, Chalamet, and Stuhlbarg).

Oh, and bonus points for that final shot of Chalamet's face as the credits roll. It's the best of its kind since Glazer's _Birth_ in 2004 when Nicole Kidman shattered all of our souls. Chalamet does the same thing here and it's overwhelmingly stunning.