Call Me by Your Name

Call Me by Your Name
Name	Call Me by Your Name
Director	Luca Guadagnino
Producer	Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Marco Morabito
Screenwriter	James Ivory
Based on	Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
Starring	Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg
Music	Sufjan Stevens, John Adams
Cinematography	Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Editing	Walter Fasano
Studio	Frenesy Film Company, La Cinéfacture, First Sun
Distributor	Sony Pictures Classics
Released	2017
Runtime	132 minutes
Country	Italy, United States
Language	English, Italian

Call Me by Your Name is a 2017 coming-of-age romance film directed by Luca Guadagnino and adapted by James Ivory from the 2007 novel by André Aciman. Set in 1983 northern Italy, the film chronicles a summer romance between a 17-year-old American-Italian student and a visiting 24-year-old American scholar, exploring intimacy, desire, memory, and identity. The production assembled an international cast and creative team and garnered critical acclaim, awards, and debate regarding its themes and depiction of sexuality.

Plot

A teenager, the son of an academic couple spending a summer at their villa in Lombardy-region Italy, meets a doctoral scholar who arrives to work with the teen's father, an influential professor of archaeology. The elder scholar's presence catalyzes a gradual friendship and escalating romantic and sexual relationship, set against the backdrop of rural Lombardy, visits to Bergamo, excursions to Milan and a trip to Garda Lake. Tension arises from generational differences, the scholar's impending marriage and professional ambitions that will diverge after the summer. The narrative culminates in a winter epilogue set in New York City, where a phone call and a subdued reunion force both characters to confront the consequences of their decisions, echoing leitmotifs from Proustian memory and Euripides-like pathos.

Cast and characters

The film stars Timothée Chalamet as the adolescent protagonist, with Armie Hammer as the visiting scholar and Michael Stuhlbarg as the protagonist's father. Supporting performances include Amira Casar as the mother, Esther Garrel as a French acquaintance, and Victoire Du Bois as the scholar's fiancée. The ensemble features European and American actors with backgrounds in Cannes Film Festival-screened projects, Sundance Film Festival selections, and stage productions in London, Paris, and New York City. Casting choices drew on performers who had worked in films by Pedro Almodóvar, Wes Anderson, Paolo Sorrentino, and Richard Linklater.

Production

Development began after producer Peter Spears and director Luca Guadagnino optioned the novel by André Aciman, bringing aboard screenwriter James Ivory, notable for earlier collaborations with Ismail Merchant and films set in Edwardian contexts. Principal photography took place in and around Crema, Lombardy, with cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and production design reflecting 1980s Italian interiors influenced by Giorgio Morandi-era aesthetics. The soundtrack prominently featured compositions by Sufjan Stevens commissioned during post-production and classical selections referencing Johann Sebastian Bach, Giuseppe Verdi, and John Adams (composer). The production navigated financing and international co-production arrangements involving companies based in Italy, France, and the United States, with post-production work completed in studios serving films distributed at Venice Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival premieres.

Release and box office

After debuting at the Telluride Film Festival and screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival, the film received a limited release through Sony Pictures Classics before expanding to wider markets across Europe, North America, and Asia. Box office grosses reflected strong per-theater averages in arthouse cinemas and sustained interest through awards-season visibility. The commercial performance benefited from festival awards, critical endorsements from publications like The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, and international distribution deals negotiated at the European Film Market and American Film Market.

Reception and legacy

Critics widely praised direction by Luca Guadagnino, the screenplay by James Ivory, and lead performances by Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. The film appeared on numerous year-end top-ten lists from organizations including National Board of Review, American Film Institute, and critics associated with outlets such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Rolling Stone. Its legacy includes influence on subsequent queer cinema narratives, debates in media outlets like The Atlantic and The New Yorker about ethical representation, and its role in elevating the careers of the principal cast within the Hollywood awards circuit. The film also spurred renewed interest in the novel by André Aciman and inspired scholarly essays in journals connected to Film Studies programs at University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, and University of Oxford.

Themes and analysis

Scholars and critics analyzed the film through lenses invoking Proustian memory studies, aestheticism debates, and historiographies of sexuality in 20th-century Europe. Discussions invoked parallels to works by James Baldwin, E.M. Forster, and Jean Cocteau regarding desire across class and nationality. The film's visual language prompted comparisons to the cinematography of Wim Wenders and Andrei Tarkovsky, while its treatment of intergenerational desire generated commentary in essays published by cultural critics associated with The Paris Review and academic contributions from departments at Columbia University, Yale University, and Princeton University.

Awards and nominations

The film received multiple nominations at major awards institutions including the Academy Awards, BAFTA, Golden Globe Awards, and Critics' Choice Awards. Notably, James Ivory won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer earned nominations that elevated their profiles at ceremonies such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. The film also garnered accolades at international festivals including awards at Cannes Film Festival sidebar events, and recognition from organizations such as GLAAD and national critics' circles in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Category:2017 films Category:Films set in Italy Category:LGBT-related films