A little background, so before I saw this movie, I was so excited for this story. I watched the promotional interviews with Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer and Luca Guadagnino. I loved how they were describing this story and I wanted to watch it. Since the film was not available in the theatre yet, I decided to read the book. The book was a pretty quick read, I finished it in about 3 days. I think now that I've seen the movie, it's probably better not to read the book before watching the movie. This can be true for almost all books and movies.
I have a lot of thoughts for this movie, and it's also another reason I decided I needed to start a blog so I can get all my thoughts out. If you haven't seen this movie, I want to warn you that below is a long list of spoilers. Also, it might be better to read the book after watching the movie. Instead of reading the book and then watching the movie.While I was exiting the theatre, a guy who watched the same screening was telling his friend how he missed his top 3 things he was looking forward to. I would have loved to interrupted their conversation but I decided not to, so I don't know what his other 2 items were.
The scenery of where the movie takes place is beautiful. I thought Timothée Chalamet did a fantastic job. His facial expressions and the way he uses his facial expressions to change the mood was pretty amazing. I thought Armie Hammer also did a good job in this movie. His character is not always there in the book either, so in the movie there's a period where he present and some other times he's not there, which is fine.
Things that were different from the book
1) Oliver's friendship with a little girl who was 10, named Vimini
I can understand why this character was cut from the movie. It would look really weird and wrong for a 24 year old man having a friendship with a 10 year old girl who has leukemia. I found their friendship in the book to be very touching.
The main thing is, in the beginning Oliver would hang out with Vimini and they would talk. To me, this was at the point in the book where Elio really wanted to spend time with Oliver and he wasn't sure what Oliver's signs were. Vimini asks Elio if he likes Oliver, and he confirms he does. Then Vimini says that Oliver likes Elio more, because Oliver revealed that to her. In the movie, this conversation is between Elio and his mother. During the movie, I felt like it was nice that Oliver was comfortable enough to say this to Elio's mother, it was a little strange too because they were trying to keep it away from his parents.
2) Nosebleed scene
The nosebleed scene happens similar as it does in the book. The only difference is, in the book the reason Elio has a nosebleed is because Oliver is caressing his foot. Which causes Elio to have many emotions (excitement, confusion because he was just rejected, and he is also longing for this touch), which ends up with Elio having a nose bleed. In the movie, they don't show the under the table action so he only has a nosebleed. Followed by them having a moment where Oliver is caressing Elio's foot. The nosebleed comment comes back when Elio puts his foot on top of Oliver's before they sleep together.
3) Poetry
I'm not sure if this change bothered me or not. In the book, the similar interests between Oliver and Elio are very apparent. Elio loves to read, and Oliver is working on a book. There is a scene in the book where he and Marzia go to the book store before it closes and stumbles on a book party for a Poet. He gifts her the book that was just released. Oliver also attended the same party earlier that day and has a copy of the same poetry book. At the end, Oliver is invited to the book party in Rome for the same Poet and he takes Elio with him. Then they spend their time with the people at the book party and there's a poetry reading. In the movie, he meets Marzia and gives her a book and they have the similar dialogue about people who read and keeping secrets.
For this whole thing, I am glad they took out the Poetry party, but part of me also acknowledges that this shows another layer of why Elio is attracted to Oliver. They would read similar things and they can talk about it. It wasn't like they would have to necessarily introduce each other to a book of poetry.
4) Their first night together
I liked how they changed how to get Elio and Oliver together. In the book, there was a nervous game from Elio's point of view on whether Oliver was still awake and vs versa. Then the nervous of him knocking on Oliver's door. In the movie, they meet each other at the balcony and they both want this.
I'm not sure how to explain my problem with their first night together without sounding wrong. I think what bothered me about the scene is when something starts to happen, the camera pans outside the window and the audience is left looking at the trees at night but we hear kissing. I didn't expect explicit hardcore sex that edges to porn or anything, but I think the audience can handle watching the kissing parts on screen instead of the camera going outside and looking at trees. If this was the direction it was going, then I feel like the times Elio was with Marzia should have been similar. He has two scenes with Marzia. First time was outside in the field and they had clothes on. He's checking with her if he is hurting her. The second time is before his night with Oliver, and we see Marzia topless while Elio is giving her oral. We've seen Elio masturbate, have sex with Marzia twice, and those scenes were detailed except for his night with Oliver. I read somewhere that Luca Guadagnino didn't want it to become that kind of movie, and both actors had it in their contract that there would be no full frontal nudity. I don't think the audience expects to see that or necessarily needs to see that. I guess the point is, when they start to kiss and are about to have sex, maybe it should just black out at the moment and move to the next scene. I just felt that the camera moving to the poster, then the window, and then panning outside where we are looking at trees for a few seconds and listening to them kiss is a bit immature in terms of the direction of the movie. We've gone through this ride with Elio in learning about him, and watching him go through his feelings and at an important scene, I'm pretty sure the audience can handle watching the kissing, but instead we are left to look at trees and hear kissing. After this night there is kissing between Elio and Oliver anyway. If there were concerns from the actors, I'm sure it could have been tastefully done. I mean they were basically intertwined during the "call me by your name and I'll call you by mine" scene.
There were other changes too, in terms of Elio's feelings that was kind of addressed but it wasn't really explored but I understand on the screen it might not make sense. Other than that, I loved how this movie played with the looks, and how a touch means way more to our characters than just a touch.
5) Peach and the toilet scenes
In the book, Oliver eats the peach with Elio's cum in the centre. The movie stops before this happens. I think while this is important in the book, I'm okay with this change because it might confuse the audience out. In interviews, they were going to take out the peach scene completely, so them adding it back in and changing it the way they did was fine. I felt like that scene was more about Elio being sad that Oliver was leaving. While in the book it was more about Oliver taking another piece of Elio inside of him and basically them becoming one.
There is also a scene in the book where Elio wants to look at the toilet and essentially looking at Oliver's crap. Then Elio goes to the toilet and Oliver helps him. This is totally cut in the movie. I'm not sure why but I guess without reading their thoughts, it's hard to express this scene with deeper meaning than what it looks on the surface.
Things that changed that I enjoyed
1) Marzia's role
After Elio and Oliver spend the night together in the book, there really is no mention of Marzia. Or at least I don't remember it. It's in the movie. While Elio hurts Marzia, at the end she offers him friendship. I appreciate that their friendship isn't over. There is also an understanding from Marzia that while Elio has hurt her, he is also hurt by Oliver returning to America.
2) The ending scene
I loved how the movie ended with just looking at Elio's face while the credits roll. I thought it was a good ending to the movie. Also the range of emotions happening on Timothée Chalamet's face. In my theatre, since the lights came on, people did leave or started to stand up. That was a little distracting since the movie wasn't completely over.
I am glad it ended with Oliver calling Elio about his engagement to be married in the next Spring. If the movie went to about 15 years later, then the story would have felt a bit different. A bit more bitter, or lost. Here we still remain with 17 year old Elio and his first love, and the feelings of lost first love. There might be a sequel in the future. I'm quite excited to see where they take that.
3) Elio's parents
His parents are great. In the book and in the movie, they are wonderful people. The ending scene between Elio and his father was beautiful. I also love that when Elio was at the train station, he calls his mom and asks her to pick him up. During the ride, he is breaking down. She is there to support him, but there doesn't need to be dialogue, she just understands. In the book, it's Anchise who picks him up.
I also love the music from Sufjan Stevens. I love Mystery of Love. The ending track is Visions of Gideon. That was pretty beautiful and worked well with the scene. His voice works so well with the tone of this movie.
I understand this movie isn't for everyone. For me, the after watching the promotional clips and interviews between Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, I really wanted to watch this love story between their characters. Then I read the book first because I wanted to know what happened. Finally I was able to go watch this movie. Again it's not as easy since it's playing in one theatre. I love that the message of this movie is love is love. Love is hard. People do silly things and go through a lot of emotions. Here we got to experience that through Elio's point of view.
I also understand that this story has controversy because it's two men falling in love, and also the age difference between the two men. For me, I never thought it was the older man manipulating the younger man into falling in love, it's quite the opposite. More like the younger man chasing the older one, and all the emotions he feels while falling for him. Elio's age of 17 makes sense. The age difference isn't that large.
There is also the complex issue of Oliver's character having this beautiful connection with Elio, but after returning to America, he gets engaged to a woman he's been having an on and off relationship with for the past two years. As in real life, there are many factors happening, and I guess at least the film addresses that not everything ends perfectly.
I do recommend this movie, I feel like I shouldn't have read the book first though. I really only noticed certain things after the fact. While watching the movie, the only thing that bothered me the most was the love scene and panning to the poster and then outside to the window. Again, I thought Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer did a beautiful job. Some scenes were cut in a strange way but this is the director's vision. While certain scenes were cut weird for me, I did appreciate the wider scenes where we are seeing the location. Even when they are riding their bikes, you see them totally ride off screen. Timothée Chalamet's performance really carries this movie.
My rating: 9/10
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