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Armie Hammer & Timothée Chalamet find love in Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Aloysius J. Gleek:
It’s truly hard to put into words what a revelation Timothée Chalamet is as Elio. The 21-year-old actor is naturally charismatic, but how he communicates Elio’s emotions throughout the picture is simply breathtaking. Even when he’s depicting Elio’s inevitable moments of teenage angst there it’s never false or mannered. He’s a rock of naturalism on Luca Guadagnino’s gorgeous canvas.
Armie Hammer, on the other hand, simply gives the performance of his career.
....Guadagnino’s achievement is a historic landmark for gay male characters in a film of this caliber. Outside of a few short moments in Ismail Merchant and James Ivory’s “Maurice,” and Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain,” the love and intimacy between two male characters has never truly felt this real or emotionally heartbreaking in a theatrical context. It’s almost revolutionary. It’s cinematic art and it will want you to feel as loved as Elio and Oliver feel, even if it’s fleeting. [A]
http://theplaylist.net/armie-hammer-timothee-chalamet-find-love-luca-guadagninos-transcendent-call-name-sundance-review-20170123/
Sundance 2017 Review
Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet
Find Love in Luca Guadagnino's Transcendent
Call Me by Your Name
by Gregory Ellwood
January 23, 2017 8:07 am
Audiences would never believe it, of course, without the incredible performances of both leading men.
Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer in Call Me by Your Name
PARK CITY -- Ever since Oliver arrived at the summer residence of Elio Perlman’s parents in the Italian countryside, the 17-year-old has had something of a crush on the doctorate student seven years his senior. It’s 1983 and Oliver (Armie Hammer) has traveled to Europe for a six-week retreat to work with Elio’s father (Michael Struhlbarg), an esteemed professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture. Elio (Timothée Chalamet) misinterprets Oliver’s own initial courting, but his frustrated heart finally forces him to bravely reveal his feelings. This scene is one of the truly brilliant moments in Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name” which had its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival on Sunday night.
Guadagnino and cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom chronicle the conversation in one extended shot that begins with Oliver and Elio on a bike trip to the local town square. Disembarking their bikes, they circle a war statue with Oliver walking around the farther side and Elio on the one closest to the camera’s eye. It’s framed so when Elio reveals he has been wanting to talk to Oliver about something the barrier around the monument forces Oliver to move further from away from Elio almost teasing the audience that he’ll reject his advances. After a heart-stopping beat he comes around the other side happily telegraphing that the feeling is mutual. The interaction becomes flirtatious when Elio takes a cigarette from Oliver and Guadagnino purposely keeps the camera distant enough so you see the attraction in their body movements and not their faces. Simply, Elio has fallen in love with Oliver and Guadagnino is going to make you fall in love along with him.
We quickly learn Elio is very lucky. He’s the son of an American father and an Italian mother (Amira Casar) who are both incredibly liberal for the time and may realize their son’s infatuation with Oliver before he wants to admit it (a significant departure from the 2007 book by André Aciman on which the film is based). He also cannot keep holding back his sexual desires waiting for Oliver to requite his love. While he pines over Oliver, writing in his notebook that he should have said one thing or another during their multitude of daily interactions, he begins a sexual relationship with Marzia (Esther Garrel), a local girl who warns him beforehand she doesn’t want to get hurt. That’s destined to happen from the moment the words come out of her mouth. While they hook up Elio keeps looking at his watch not wanting to be late for his secret rendezvous with Oliver later that night.
As he’s shown in his the last two films of what he describes as his “desire trilogy,” “I Am Love” and “A Bigger Splash,” Guadagnino is a sensual filmmaker who uses cinematic flourishes to let the narrative unfold at a pace he feels best suits the overall story (those flourishes are assisted by two new original songs by Sufjan Stevens). Guadagnino almost hypnotically lets the audience experience the dance of desire between Elio and Oliver in a masterful manner. When they are together he captures their affection in startling real ways. Guadagnino makes it explicit that their intimacy is more about love than animalistic release. No matter what your personal sexual orientation Guadagnino manages to find those intimate moments whether through a secretive touch, a fumbling first kiss, the stillness before the first move is made, or the eroticism of breaking the physical boundaries that form between all of us. It’s utterly beautiful.
Audiences would never believe it, of course, without the incredible performances of both leading men.
It’s truly hard to put into words what a revelation Chalamet is as Elio. The 21-year-old actor is naturally charismatic, but how he communicates Elio’s emotions throughout the picture is simply breathtaking. Even when he’s depicting Elio’s inevitable moments of teenage angst there it’s never false or mannered. He’s a rock of naturalism on Guadagnino’s gorgeous canvas.
Hammer, on the other hand, simply gives the performance of his career. On the surface Oliver is overly confident, but Hammer gives him depth that is hard to imagine was dictated in the script. After their first night together, a quiet Elio seems to have grown emotionally cold as many who are still uncomfortable with intimacy can react. The look of pained concern on Hammer’s face communicates everything going on in Oliver’s mind without a single word being said. And as much as the film is from Elio’s perspective, Hammer surprisingly makes you root for Oliver’s happiness too.
While there have been some changes in the adaptation from the novel, Guadagnino and co-screenwriters James Ivory and [film editor] Walter Fasano keep the story intact up too a point. Unlike the book, the movie does not tell these characters stories over a 20-year span. It also changes the parents’ reaction to the affair that leads to a touching but perhaps slightly overlong scene of fatherly love and unsolicited life advice.
That slight quibble aside, Guadagnino’s achievement is a historic landmark for gay male characters in a film of this caliber. Outside of a few short moments in Ismail Merchant and James Ivory’s “Maurice,” and Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain,” the love and intimacy between two male characters has never truly felt this real or emotionally heartbreaking in a theatrical context. It’s almost revolutionary. It’s cinematic art and it will want you to feel as loved as Elio and Oliver feel, even if it’s fleeting. [A]
“Call Me By Your Name” was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics before the festival and should hit theaters sometime this year.
Aloysius J. Gleek:
During a Q&A after the screening Luca Guadagnino revealed that Sufjan Stevens surprised him by submitting three songs for the movie and that they listened to them on the set. He also note that “Call Me By Your Name” was the fasted film he’d ever edited. His previous movies took about a year to finesse, but “Call Me” was finished a month after production wrapped (July, 2016). Armie Hammer credited the month he and Timothée Chalamet spent before filming for helping to cement their character’s strong chemistry and Chalamet was grateful to have the novel by André Aciman as a reference.
https://theplaylist.net/call-name-steals-tiff-2017-opening-night-buzz-20170908/
Call Me by Your Name
Steals TIFF 2017 Opening Night Buzz
by Gregory Ellwood
September 8, 2017 2:22 am
Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer in Call Me by Your Name
TORONTO -- The official opening night film for the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival was “Borg/McEnroe.” Despite a unique tennis story and the kitsch factor of Shia LaBeouf playing John McEnroe (perhaps a little too on the nose), the were hardly any buzz from Roy Thompson Hall which was filled mostly by festival sponsors. Instead, social media and the rest of the festival was ablaze over the TIFF premiere of “Call Me By Your Name” which earned rave reviews at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in January (you can read mine here): http://theplaylist.net/armie-hammer-timothee-chalamet-find-love-luca-guadagninos-transcendent-call-name-sundance-review-20170123/
Sony Pictures Classics closed the lid on all North American festival screenings after Sundance. TIFF was the first time it was shown publicly since a large number of the world’s film critics declared the adaptation of André Aciman’s 2007 novel a “masterpiece.” Director Luca Guadagnino and stars Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer were on hand as the film earned a standing ovation which you can watch in the video embedded in this story.
Standing ovation for #callmebyyourname at #tiff #oscars
https://theplaylist.net/call-name-steals-tiff-2017-opening-night-buzz-20170908/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYw8hJhnsny/
Granted, standing ovations can be somewhat common at TIFF, but not necessarily in the Ryerson Theater where “Call Me” had its Canadian debut. The mandatory ones are usually for the gala premieres at Roy Thompson Hall and over the years this pundit has seen a few very deserving ones (“Silver Linings Playbook”) in that venue and some absolute head scratchers (“Mandela,” “Deepwater Horizon,” etc.). This audience’s reaction, however, was genuine. One woman in my row was audibly crying at the end and there were cries of “Bravo!” when the first credits rolled (it’s worth noting Guadagnino starts to display the credits on the final shot while it’s still emotionally in progress).
http://www.gramunion.com/callmebyurnameandillcallubymine.tumblr.com/163920289941
http://www.gramunion.com/tagged/michael%20stuhlbarg
During a Q&A after the screening Guadagnino revealed that Sufjan Stevens surprised him by submitting three songs for the movie and that they listened to them on the set. He also note that “Call Me” was the fasted film he’d ever edited. His previous movies took about a year to finesse, but “Call Me” was finished a month after production wrapped (July, 2016). Hammer credited the month he and Chalamet spent before filming for helping to cement their character’s strong chemistry and Chalamet was grateful to have the novel as a reference.
It goes without saying that they hype after Sundance (and a lesser point, Berlin) hasn’t helped “Call Me” with some (cough, male, cough) media members who had to wait to see it at TIFF or a few select few private screenings over the past few weeks (again, emphasis on “some”). Why they thought this was another “Moonlight” is beyond me. They are very different films even if they feature gay subject matter. If anything, “Call Me” is closer in tone and story to “Brokeback Mountain” and even then it’s a stretch. So, yes, there is a slight backlash (Ahem, “Why y’all so jealous? Get your ass to Park City or accept you’re gonna see movies later than others.”), but we’re still confident a substantial number of Academy members will give the picture the Best Picture nomination votes it needs. Now will Chalamet and Guadagnino get the Best Actor and Director nominations they deserve? That’s gonna be a battle SPC may need more help with than usual.
“Call Me By Your Name” opens in limited release on Nov. 24.
Aloysius J. Gleek:
Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet have incredible on-screen chemistry as they go back and forth from a playful big brother/little brother vibe to passionate lovers. Both should be in the awards season discussion (Luca Guadagnino as well), but it’s Hammer who really shines. The Oliver role gives him the opportunity to really show off his dramatic chops and leading man charm.
http://www.businessinsider.com/call-me-by-your-name-review-2017-9
TORONTO
INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
TIFF 2017 Review
Call Me by Your Name
is a moving and playful love story that showcases
Armie Hammer's star quality
by Jason Guerrasio
Sep. 8, 2017, 9:01 AM
‘A touching portrait of a summer love affair’ ... Michael Stuhlbarg, Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer in Call Me by Your Name
TORONTO -- Following Oscar hype at its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, “Call Me by Your Name” shows up at the Toronto International Film Festival with the hopes of increasing the buzz. And after its premiere screening here Thursday night, it did just that.
From director Luca Guadagnino (“I Am Love,” “A Bigger Splash”), with a script byJames Ivory, this adaptation of the André Aciman novel is a touching portrait of a summer love affair between student Oliver (Armie Hammer) and the son of the professor that’s taken him in, Elio (Timothée Chalamet).
Guadagnino has dazzled audiences in the past with lush visuals of rural Italy that makes you want to jump on a plane and vacation there. “Call Me by Your Name” is no different, as the “somewhere in Northern Italy” setting is a character all its own in the movie with its hidden ponds, cute towns, and a rustic villa. But what’s different this time around is that with the movie’s setting of the late 1980s, Guadagnino gives us a more playful feel. Similar to “A Bigger Splash,” the movie features fun music and a lot of sexual tension, but in “Call Me By Your Name” there’s no sinister third act. The movie is about sexual discovery and the feeling of finding your first love.
The movie is fueled by Elio’s fondness for Oliver, which turns into a mutual love over the six weeks they are together. Hammer plays the Oliver character as a macho American, who shows up with a confidence that at first intimidates Elio. But by the end, Elio doesn’t want to just sleep with him, he wants to be just like him.
Hammer and Chalamet have incredible on-screen chemistry as they go back and forth from a playful big brother/little brother vibe to passionate lovers. Both should be in the awards season discussion (Guadagnino as well), but it’s Hammer who really shines. The Oliver role gives him the opportunity to really show off his dramatic chops and leading man charm.
The movie might be a little too long (running time is over two hours). By the end it gets to the point where there are about three different endings. But buried in there is a fantastic scene between Chalamet and character actor Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays his father, that is an emotional high of the movie.
“Call Me By Your Name” opens in theaters November 24.
Aloysius J. Gleek:
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bby76VN7HI4[/youtube]
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Press Conference
TIFF 2017
Director Luca Guadagnino,
Armie Hammer & Timothée Chalamet
37:03 Published on Sep 9, 2017
Actors Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet join director Luca Guadagnino at the Toronto International Film Festival TIFF press conference for their movie Call Me By Your Name which had it's world premiere at the festival.
The movie is based on the book (of the same name) by André Aciman.
Plot: It's the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who's working as an intern for Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Directed By: Luca Guadagnino
Written By: Luca Guadagnino, James Ivory, Walter Fasano
In Theaters: Nov 24, 2017 Limited
Runtime: 130 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
--and now, of course, we learn:
23:24 - 25:26
--and we learn this:
26:00 - 29:24
--and this:
29:29 - 31:53
and
34:24 - 35:35
Aloysius J. Gleek:
Armie Hammer’s career has been marred by high-profile bombs, but his impossibly good looks and consistently measured delivery serves him well here as a young man already hardened by living a deception. It’s a fine performance that works well within the character’s limitations.
Elio, on the other hand, is a character of range. He seems to feel free to try on personalities to see what fits best: he has a girlfriend in one scene, and lays in bed with Oliver in the next. Timothée Chalamet evokes so many shades of humanity, portraying a path of youthful self-discovery that is more raw, unhinged, and ultimately honest than many actors could manage. Whether the affair lasts or not, what hangs in the balance is just what kind of man this bright, young boy will become, and what the world will let him be. Mr Chalamet’s multi-faceted performance is one for the ages.
https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2017/09/what-lies-beneath
TIFF 2017 Review
What lies beneath:
Call Me by Your Name
is a work of beauty
Luca Guadagnino’s new film is preoccupied with questions of image and illusion
Prospero
by N.E.G.
September 8, 2017
“If you only knew how little I know about things that matter.” “What things that matter?” Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name
TORONTO - ART and beauty are inexorable; Pablo Picasso said that art exists to embellish, polish and “[wash] away from the soul the dust of everyday life”. Luca Guadagnino is one of cinema’s most aesthetically-minded directors; his films often probe the concept of beauty and its role in human relationships. His last film, “A Bigger Splash” (2015), placed two pairs of lovers—played by four gorgeous actors—in a picturesque Mediterranean setting, and watched as their jealousies and rivalries slowly ruined the placid, pleasing surfaces. His newest, “Call Me By Your Name”, recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. It features a more heavenly setting, a highly sensual story and a deeper critique of the surfaces on which we focus.
Adapted from the critically acclaimed novel by André Aciman, the film tells of a summer of love for teenaged Elio (Timothée Chalamet), who has been raised in a culture of aesthetic pleasure. His father (Michael Stuhlbarg), a professor, studies Greek statues. A warm but distant intellectual, he gets far more excited about the discovery of an arm—a bronze one, that is—in the ocean than anything his son’s mind or body might be experiencing.
It isn’t long before Elio finds a figure of his own to get excited about. Oliver (Armie Hammer)—a young, handsome American whose skin and hair evoke the golden countryside—comes to work for the professor, staying at their home for the summer. Although Elio, like most 17-year-olds, fiercely guards his vulnerability, Oliver is simply too attractive to ignore. Confident and immovable, Oliver resembles a Greek god in human form, or perhaps Superman (Mr Hammer was once in consideration to play the Man of Steel).
Mr Guadagnino depicts their friendship, and its eventual metamorphosis into something more, slowly and carefully. At first, Elio is simply intrigued by Oliver’s voracity. He watches in fascination as Oliver drinks a glass of apricot juice in one, large gulp, and dances without self-consciousness. They start to spend more time together: first, there are shared bike trips into town, then an afternoon swim. Oliver’s initial confidence belies his reticence, and it is Elio who proves willing to take the risk in initiating a relationship. When Oliver compliments Elio on his intelligence, he replies with affected wistfulness: “If you only knew how little I know about things that matter.” Oliver slyly takes his bait: “What things that matter?”
From there, “Call Me By Your Name” chronicles the secret ecstasies and public frustrations of their romance, maintaining a steadying naturalism that fits the material. There are surprisingly few deep displays of emotion; no love that isn’t measured by pain. Ostensibly, it is the end of the summer, when Oliver will leave them, that hangs over their heads. Yet Mr Guadagnino frames things so obliquely (these characters rarely state what they are actually feeling) that we perceive their fumbling towards and away from love as an internalised oppression. They cannot be who they are: not in 1983 (when the film is set), not when one of them is 17, and not when his father is the other’s employer. This fear laces every kiss with regret.
With such exquisite tension between pain and pleasure, “Call Me By Your Name” is a paradise for skilled actors. Mr Hammer’s career has been marred by high-profile bombs (“The Lone Ranger,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”), but his impossibly good looks and consistently measured delivery serves him well here as a young man already hardened by living a deception. It’s a fine performance that works well within the character’s limitations.
Elio, on the other hand, is a character of range. He seems to feel free to try on personalities to see what fits best: he has a girlfriend in one scene, and lays in bed with Oliver in the next. Mr Chalamet evokes so many shades of humanity, portraying a path of youthful self-discovery that is more raw, unhinged, and ultimately honest than many actors could manage. Whether the affair lasts or not, what hangs in the balance is just what kind of man this bright, young boy will become, and what the world will let him be. Mr Chalamet’s multi-faceted performance is one for the ages.
“Call Me By Your Name” is, above all, interested in appearances. The cinematography itself is well crafted, with lingering shots of lithe young bodies, Italian country houses and orchards of apricots and pomegranates. Mr Guadagnino was astute to choose a story of a forbidden, closeted relationship, a “love that dare not speak its name”. It reminds us that beneath surface impressions lie hidden depths and passions.
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