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Beautiful Beyond Description
Daniel Lammin | December 15, 2012
There have been a few moments in my film-going life where I've come to the end of a film and found myself unable and unwilling to move because of how deeply affected I was. It only happens rarely, and always takes me by surprise. I say often in my reviews that film is a subjective art form and each individual experience of rapture is its own private moment to cherish. At the end of the screening of Luca Guadagnino's 'Call Me By My Name', when Sony expanded its theatre size , I found myself in such a moment.
Set in the summer of 1983 in Northern Italy, the film looks at six weeks in the life of seventeen year-old Elio Perlman (Ryan Stone). His father (Michael Stuhlbarg), a professor of antiquities, invites Oliver (Andrew Garfield), a university student, to come and study with him in their family home. Over Oliver's stay, Elio becomes increasingly infatuated with him, an infatuation that slowly builds into a romance that sends Elio reeling.
Based on the book by André Aciman and written by Oscar-nominee James Ivory, 'Call Me By Your Name' is a transcendent, deeply sensual and enormously moving film, one that beguiles you with its beauty before breaking your heart in the most exquisite way imaginable. Guadagnino, best known for 'I Am Love' (2009), takes what could easily have been a perfunctory coming-of-age story and weaves it into something almost indescribable, a piece of cinematic poetry that taps right into that which is deep within all of us: the memory of our first love and our first understandings of ourselves as beings capable of desire and being desired. There are no moments of sweeping melodrama or emotion - Elio's meticulously crafted journey revels in the quiet interior struggles that are rarely ever spoken, especially in young men, those enormous emotions that cause cataclysms in our hearts but the outside world can never be a part of. The queer coming-of-age story it presents is both idealised and remarkably grounded, examining Elio's exploration of his body and what it is capable of, both in his attraction to Oliver and the hormonal shifts he has to chart. For Guadagnino, it is the tiny, understated details that fascinate, moments of touch or the proximity of bodies within space, and each one speaks volumes.
The craft of the filmmaking is impeccable from the beginning, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom's sublime cinematography and Samuel Deshors' extraordinary production design capturing the palpable feeling of that kind of summer we never forget. Every frame of the film shudders with longing and possibility, the air thick with sensuality. Ivory's screenplay is sparse and specific, far more interested in the meaning around the words than necessarily within them. Guadagnino's directorial command is stunning, creating a film more like a memory, something organic and private that we hold onto for ourselves and ourselves only. The whole film is a pursuit of honesty and truth, never allowing for moments of emotional indulgence. The first act of the film is so carefully constructed, giving us the time to settle into Elio's world, setting the stage for what is about to come.
And it is when 'Call Me By Your Name' becomes a love story that the film transcends from the beautiful to the sublime. As Elio and Oliver come together, we are met with a succession of staggeringly beautiful exchanges, moments of piercing honesty that fill your heart with immense joy. They come together in breath-catching, careful moments, each of them (especially Elio) savouring each careful, anticipated step. Some might find the age difference between the two uncomfortable, but at no point does the film, and Elio's need for Oliver is so enormous and so overwhelming that any concerns fall away almost immediately. What this film has to say about the nature of love, our need to follow our hearts and give ourselves permission to feel is monumental, and seeing such a young soul navigate that for the first time is equally exhilarating, breathtaking and heartbreaking. You cannot help but see yourself in Elio, feel his anguish and confusion, fear and desire, and his overwhelming joy when the object of his desires expresses those same desires for him..
Ryan Stone's performance as Elio is simply staggering, one of the finest performances of the year. The incredibly deep heart and soul of the film lies in his work, shockingly honest and emotionally generous whilst also a technical marvel. His understanding of Elio's journey is extraordinary, and his commitment to the truth of that journey is a wonder to behold. Andrew Garfield proves he is more than a superhero flick with his beautiful performance as Oliver, sensual and cocky and tender in all the right ways. His performance sparkles with life, allowing us to be just as infatuated and infuriated with him as Elio. The chemistry between Stone and Garfield is just so goddamn remarkable, the screen erupting with electricity every moment they're together. They find a connection that's so real that you can't help but share in their joy at finding one another. And quietly and beautifully in the background are Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar as Elio's protective, deeply loving parents, with Stuhlbarg towards the end delivering a moment of astounding humanity that had me holding my breath. Both Stone and Stuhlbarg deliver Oscar-worthy performances in this film, Stone's easily one of the finest performances of the decade.
'Call Me By My Name' is a masterpiece, one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Luca Guadagnino has made a film of enormous humanity, a statement on the nature of love that sends shockwaves through you, especially with the powerhouse performance from Ryan Stone. I can't speak for everyone who saw this film with me, I can only speak for myself and my own experience, but this is one I won't ever forget. This is why I go to the cinema, to see films that can make me feel as alive as this film did.
Such reviews were common after Sony expanded its theatre nationwide and it seemed that almost every cinephile was talking about it.
The comments below the article were about how packed the theatre was for an arthouse film and people began begging Sony for there to be more theatres.
I woke up to a louder Mark on the phone, "Holy shit! I don't know what you did, but you gave the audience crack or something"
I smiled, "You know I told you this film was going to be successful."
"Rebecca is about to be the busiest person in Los Angeles, God bless her" I could hear his breath, he was looking at the numbers.
"How much?"
He exhaled, "9 million dollars for 800 screens"
There was a large silence. In the original timeline, CMBYN grossed 18 million dollars in its entire domestic theatrical lifetime, and opening weekend halved that total. The original budget: 3.5 million dollars, it tripled the production cost.
He said after a while of panting and half-yelling at his assistant, "Sony is going to launch 1,300 screens next weekend"
I stood there silently, my home was so silent it felt like it was floating, far away from the noise and excitement of the city.
"Wow"
"You are my lucky charm!"
"Thanks"
After the call ended, I made myself some coffee and looked at my schedule ahead: more interviews, photoshoots, and Rebecca wanted me to do some Reddit AMA's and embrace Twitter.
I already knew how dominant social media would be in deciding the fate of a movie.
I opened my laptop, the screen was the brightest thing in the room. On Tumblr, the tag for CMBYN was already exploding. Hundreds of thousands of posts were circulating: GIFS of the Crema countryside, a still of me dancing, and edits quoting Michael Stuhlbarg's final monologue.
I dialed Rebecca before she could call me. She picked up on the half-ring, "Tell me you're dressed," she fired off, "The trade's just updated their weekend projections. Variety is running a piece calling this the strongest indie per-theater average since The King's Speech. My phone has not stopped ringing–at first I thought I had a stalker, do I need security?"
"Ha, no"
"Harvey's office called twice"
A chill ran down my spine, "Keep him far away"
"Okay"
I finished up all of the responses on Reddit and Twitter which went trending and accepted a call from Damien.
"Yo", his voice carried that frantic energy that l was used to, "Sony loves you right now, I finished the cut of the movie only a few days ago and they want to put the movie on Sundance"
"You finished the cut already?"
"Yeah the moment we stopped filming, I mean its the first cut but things look good"
I let out a laugh, "Let us all take a break after this; God, knows you need it"
"YOU need to take a break, your only 21"
I looked down to my hands which, after all this time, had pale calluses from the drumming, "When they see the film, they are going to think I am dick"
He laughed, "Don't worry, they would be more scared of Fletcher"
The phone call ended as quickly as it started and when I thought that I had enough calls for today.
I looked down to my buzzing phone that read a familiar name:
Jennifer