It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).
Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.
One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
I am no film buff, but I streamed this movie two Christmases ago. It put more than a little sparkle into what would otherwise have been a pretty dull Christmas for me. If you’re feeling blue, try this fix: it is sure to buck you up. It did me; no end!
Actually, I found the movie by chance; I stumbled upon an ad for it online. God knows how it got there! You know the kind of ad I mean: one of those often bothersome ads dangling in the ether in the corner of your screen. So, without further ado and out of more than a little boredom, I clicked on it. Thank God! I had never heard of the film before. Watching that film turned out to be a Christmas-changer for me! I cannot tell you how many times I watched it over the Christmas period because I lost count!
The film hits all your senses – head on! You’ll feel as if you’re in Italy with all the characters. In a grand, old villa. It’s rather mesmerizing; it’s certainly delightful, too. Truly delightful! Warning: It is not for those without an iota of fantasy, for the boring, or for the prudes. If you are easily shocked, don’t watch it! The movie will take you on a ride. You might even end up in seventh heaven! Go for it! And enjoy! © Mark
