Call Me by Your Name

During the summer of 1983, a 17-year-old piano prodigy named Elio Perlman finds his life upended by the arrival of Oliver, a confident American graduate student, at his family's villa in the Italian countryside. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film traces the slow-burn attraction between the two young men, set against the golden light of Lombardy. Timothée Chalamet delivers a breakthrough performance as Elio, while Armie Hammer plays Oliver with an easy charm that masks deeper uncertainties. Michael Stuhlbarg, as Elio's father, gives a monologue near the end that has become one of the most celebrated scenes in recent cinema.

Adapted by James Ivory from André Aciman's 2007 novel, the screenplay earned Ivory an Academy Award at age 89, making him the oldest winner in that category. Shot over 34 days on a budget of $3.5 million, the film grossed more than $43 million worldwide. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom's cinematography captures the hazy, tactile quality of a northern Italian summer, while Sufjan Stevens contributed two original songs, including the Oscar-nominated "Mystery of Love." The soundtrack also features period pop songs like The Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way," which accompanies a memorable dance sequence.[edit]

Elio Perlman, a 17-year-old piano prodigy and translator of classical texts, spends his summers with his intellectual parents at their 17th-century villa in Crema, Lombardy. His father, an archaeology professor, hosts a graduate student each year to assist with academic work. In 1983, that student is Oliver, a 24-year-old American from Columbia University. Elio is initially put off by Oliver's breezy confidence and his habit of saying "Later!" as a casual farewell. Oliver, for his part, seems oblivious to the effect he has on the younger boy, though he occasionally flashes moments of unexpected warmth.

As the weeks pass, the tension between them shifts from awkward avoidance to charged proximity. Elio spends his days swimming, playing piano, and flirting with his friend Marzia, while Oliver explores the countryside and engages in intellectual debates with Mr. Perlman. Shared meals under the pergola, bicycle rides through cobblestone streets, and late-night readings of romance novels create an atmosphere of suspended time. The turning point comes during a trip to the nearby town of Bergamo, where they finally acknowledge their attraction. Their relationship deepens through stolen hours in orchards, swimming holes, and Elio's bedroom, all while maintaining a facade of normalcy around the Perlman parents, who seem remarkably perceptive.

The film's emotional core lies not in dramatic obstacles but in the bittersweet awareness that Oliver's stay is temporary. He will return to America in six weeks, and this looming deadline infuses every moment with urgency and melancholy. Elio grapples with jealousy when Oliver flirts with local women, confusion about his own sexuality, and the fear of rejection. The story builds toward Oliver's departure, with Elio's father offering a profound, tearful monologue about the value of embracing pain as a testament to having loved deeply. The film stops short of revealing the epilogue, instead leaving viewers in the emotional aftermath of that conversation, with Elio staring into a crackling fireplace as the credits roll.[edit]