Call Me by Your Name (2017)

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME  (2017)  ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Luca Guadagnino
    Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Amira Cassar,
    Michael Stuhlbarg, Esther Garrel, Victoire du Bois
A gay romantic fantasy about a 17-year-old named Elio who finds himself becoming attracted to and then involved with a man who's a few years older. It takes place in the summer in northern Italy, so the backdrop is beautiful, and Hammer and Chalamet make an attractive pair of lovers, and I guess if this is your idea of a dream romance, go for it. I couldn't quite buy it, though. The characters, even when they're confused and hurt, are invariably eloquent and articulate, in a way that wouldn't occur in real life, but can in a carefully scripted movie. And while you might wish every gay kid had such accommodating parents, you wonder why Elio's folks aren't a little more concerned about what's clearly going on between their underaged son and this smooth-talking older guy. (He might not be that much older, but it's enough to make a difference.) And there's this heart-to-heart talk between Elio and his dad toward the end, where the father reveals something that's no secret at all if you've been watching the movie. I also kept wondering how the dynamic might change if you were to monkey with the genders involved. Like, what if this arrogant but dashing guy was getting it on with your 17-year-old daughter instead of your son? Or what if the 17-year-old kid was a boy, but the older character was a woman? Or what if they were both women? The vibe would be different. Would anything else? Huh. I don't know.