Call Me By Your Name: The tormenting wait

Why I find this movie absolutely stunning

**Spoilers alert

“I don’t want you to go.” – Elio to Oliver.

Call me by your name is by far my favourite romantic movie, and it really hits me in all kinds of ways. (I have rewatched it for at least four times now)

As some may know, (if you have read my other movie reviews :p) I think the most well-done part of this movie is the suffocating and endless waiting. In the first part of the movie, it mostly show scenes of the two being apart, just minding their own business. Sometimes, they walked together and went swimming, but that was it. Time passed, but it was not tormenting. In fact, it was quite relaxing.

Then, the wait started after Elio confessed his feelings to Oliver by the riverbank. Oliver began avoiding Elio, which should not be that bothering, because they used to spend days apart. It was supposed to be fine. However, it began to transform into a turmoil for Elio. In the middle of the night, in the morning at breakfast, in the garden, in the city… Time suddenly stopped. Love became torturing, stealing his mind and soul, grabbing his every attention. In most movies, this tormenting wait will be shortened into a few short scenes. Yet, in Call Me, those scenes are shown in some details, regardless of how dull they were, because it is a very genuine emotion that we may face daily.

Another thing I love is the pace and the scenes of the movie. Yes, it can be quite boring to watch Elio waiting for Oliver and to see them live their life. It can be boring to watch the days go by. Yet, all of them will later become meaningful, once they turn into memories. Those seemingly dreadful scenes, are all Elio has of Oliver. Memories, the shirt, and nothing more. And they hit so hard, when Elio and Oliver parted at the train station, realising everything ended at that moment. Elio couldn’t even go home himself, everything was gone. Even when time passed and things seemed okay, at the end scene when Oliver called, he could only say that he remembered everything, because everything they have were memories.

Additionally, the warm Italian landscape definitely added points to the movie. I love the vintage color of the scenes, making it rustic and memory-like. The soft tone created a dream-like atmosphere, further making the summer a haze.

The music enhanced the mood of the movie too, by provoking us with Sufjan Stevens’s music and Ravel’s wave-like piece. Stevens’s songs were the thoughts of Elio, so whenever I heard the three songs, I thought of the memories of Elio’s summer and cry. When everything comes together, it is perfection. (The end scene if you know what I mean) One thing to note is that the background music in the movie tends to stop abruptly. At first, I find it kind of sudden, but then it felt like the feeling of time flies, so in later part of the movie, it hits me hard. (I only started to realise that when I rewatched the movie)

I have read other comments saying that the story is stupid, what saved the movie is the music, the Italian scenery and the handsome actors. However, I must disagree. I have mentioned above why I like the story, and I think that the movie can be classified as deep, as in it can draw the deep emotions in us. It is common for us to love someone at a wrong time and miss that person, or to be the person that is left behind in a relationship. These things are common, yet we often force ourselves to move on, and neglect the hurt. The movie urges us to slow down and look into our hearts with Elio, as he experience a love that is so tragic, yet so beautiful.

After all, emotions are what make up most of us, and when everything fades, memories stay.