Based on the book of the same name, although the ending of the film is completely different, Call Me By Your Name is a coming of age story set in the summer of 1983 with the glorious Northern Italian countryside playing a central role.
It is set during a whimsical summer of self discovery when Oliver (Armie Hammer) a doctorate student comes to stay at the country house of an antiquities professor. It is here that Oliver meets the young precocious and obnoxious Elio (Timothee Chalamet). The film follows Elio’s sexual awakening and Oliver’s attempt to restrain himself from giving in to his desires. The first hour allows the audience to fully immerse itself in the setting, which helps to evoke and inform our reaction to the carefree, heady summer days.
The essence of the film is the exploration of whether we should give in to our desires. The use of a 16th century German story where the central character asks “is it better to speak or die?” is used to full effect as the sexual tension grows between Oliver and Elio. Who will speak of their desire for the other? And the ‘will they or won’t they?’ is executed perfectly on-screen by the two actors, especially Chalamet. The film is both charming and funny with some tender moments, particularly in the final third of the film with Elio confused and scared by his feelings for Oliver, his father tells him softly: “how you live your life is your business.” This then giving Elio permission to be free.
It works well as a coming of age story and examination of how people communicate when they are unsure of the other’s feelings.
Roz Try-Hane
@liquidmarmalade
1 Comment
Actors with two Jewish parents: Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, Logan Lerman, Paul Rudd, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bar Refaeli, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Adam Brody, Kat Dennings, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Erin Heatherton, Lisa Kudrow, Lizzy Caplan, Gal Gadot, Debra Messing, Jason Isaacs, Jon Bernthal, Robert Kazinsky, Melanie Laurent, Esti Ginzburg, Shiri Appleby, Justin Bartha, Margarita Levieva, James Wolk, Elizabeth Berkley, Halston Sage, Seth Gabel, Corey Stoll, Michael Vartan, Mia Kirshner, Alden Ehrenreich, Julian Morris, Debra Winger, Eric Balfour, Dan Hedaya, Emory Cohen, Corey Haim, Scott Mechlowicz, Odeya Rush, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is Jewish, too (though I don’t know if both of his parents are).
Actors with Jewish mothers and non-Jewish fathers: Timothée Chalamet, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dave Franco, James Franco, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Brie, Eva Green, Joaquin Phoenix, River Phoenix, Emmy Rossum, Ryan Potter, Rashida Jones, Jennifer Connelly, Sofia Black D’Elia, Nora Arnezeder, Goldie Hawn, Ginnifer Goodwin, Brandon Flynn, Amanda Peet, Eric Dane, Jeremy Jordan, Joel Kinnaman, Ben Barnes, Patricia Arquette, Kyra Sedgwick, Dave Annable, and Harrison Ford (whose maternal grandparents were both Jewish, despite those Hanukkah Song lyrics).
Actors with Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who themselves were either raised as Jewish and/or identify as Jewish: Ezra Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zac Efron, Alexa Davalos, Nat Wolff, Nicola Peltz, James Maslow, Josh Bowman, Andrew Garfield, Winona Ryder, Michael Douglas, Ben Foster, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nikki Reed, Jonathan Keltz, Paul Newman.
Oh, and Ansel Elgort’s father is Jewish, though I don’t know how Ansel was raised. Robert Downey, Jr., Sean Penn, and Ed Skrein were also born to Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers. Armie Hammer, Chris Pine, Emily Ratajkowski, Mark-Paul Gosselaar are part Jewish.
Actors with one Jewish-born parent and one parent who converted to Judaism: Dianna Agron, Sara Paxton (whose father converted, not her mother), Alicia Silverstone, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.