Respond to these rapid questions in our Call Me By Your Name quiz and we will tell you which Call Me By Your Name character you are. Play it now.
Luca Guadagnino’s films are all about the transformative power of nature—the way it allows our true selves to shine through and inspires us to pursue our hidden passions—and how we can use that power to transform our lives. The outside world is vividly depicted in Guadagnino’s films, from the wild, windswept hills of “I Am Love” to the chic swimming pool of “A Bigger Splash,” where it serves as almost a character in and of itself, propelling the plot, encouraging the other characters to take risks and inviting us to feel as if we, too, are a part of this intoxicating atmosphere.
Probably nowhere is this more true than in “Call Me By Your Name,” a lush and vibrant masterpiece about first love set amid the warm, sunny skies, gentle breezes, and picturesque and tree-lined roads that characterize the northern Italian countryside. In order to properly establish this place and the characters who inhabit it, Guadagnino takes his time. In his pacing, he’s patient, and you must be patient as well. In all seriousness, though, what’s the rush? Nothing else to do during the scorching summer of 1983 besides read and play the piano while contemplating classic art and plucking peaches and apricots from the abundant fruit trees.
Among the sensual delights of this garden, an unexpected but life-changing romance blossoms between two young men who, on the surface, appear to be completely different from one another.
Young Elio (Timothee Chalamet), 17, is returning to his family’s summer home with his parents, Michael Stuhlbarg (an esteemed professor of Greco-Roman culture) and Amira Casar (a translator and gracious hostess), for a second summer in the same house. Elio is built like a boy, but he has an intellect and quick wit that are far beyond his years, and the worldliness that his parents have instilled in him at least allows him to put on a show of sophistication. However, beneath the brashness, a gawky and self-conscious kid can still be seen on occasion. By the end of the summer, that kid will have been defeated for all time.
Oliver (Armie Hammer), a doctoral student from the United States, arrives for the annual internship Elio’s father is offering him. Oliver is everything Elio isn’t—or, at the very least, that’s how we perceive him to be at this point in the story. He is the archetypal all-American hunk, standing tall, gorgeous, and supremely self-assured. However, as courteous as Oliver can be on occasion, he can also leave a room with a glib “Later,” making him even more of an enthralling mystery to the audience.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Call Me By Your Name quiz.
Even though (or perhaps because) their characters are initially prickly toward one another: testing, pushing, feeling each other out, and constantly worrying about what the other person thinks, Chalamet and Hammer have just ridiculous chemistry from the get-go. They flirt by trying to outdo each other in terms of knowledge of literature or classical music, but their electric connection is undeniable even before they make physical contact with each other. Relaxed poolside conversations are fraught with anxiety, and spontaneous bike rides into town to run errands can feel like nerve-wracking first dates.
Andre Aciman’s novel is brought to life in a generous and sensitive adaptation by writer James Ivory that reveals these characters and their ever-evolving dynamic in a beautifully steady yet detailed manner. As a result, when Elio and Oliver finally admit to each other that they are in love with each other (a full hour into the film), the intimacy of the moment causes you to hold your breath, and the emotions feel completely genuine and earned.
The way Elio and Oliver peel away each other’s layers has a sweetness to it as well as a giddy thrill to it, despite the fact that they feel they must keep their romance a secret from Elio’s parents and siblings. Aside from Marzia [Esther Garrel], an intelligent and playful French adolescent who happens to be in town for the summer, Elio has a kind of-sorta girlfriend in Marzia. In Chalamet’s beautiful and complex performance, one of the many impressive elements is the effortless way he transitions between speaking in English and Italian, as well as French, depending on who Elio is with at the time. It instills a sense of maturity in him that would otherwise be lacking; eventually, his massive character arc feels satisfying and true.
Call Me By Your Name Quiz
In the meantime, Oliver’s development is equally important, and Hammer manages to strike a delicate balance between the character’s swagger and his vulnerability as he surrenders himself to this exciting affair. In addition to being flirty and tender, he is also heartbreaking and intensely erotic at the same time. Despite the fact that he has more experience than she does, he can’t help but jump in headfirst with the other woman.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Call Me By Your Name quiz.
Despite this, the most memorable aspect of “Call Me By Your Name” may not even be the romance itself, but rather the lingering sense that it won’t last, which Guadagnino evokes through long takes and the expert use of silence throughout the film. An underlying sense of melancholy permeates everything, from the selection of a particular shirt to the taste of an especially deliciously ripe banana. And, oh my, that peach scene—Guadagnino made a wise decision by including it from the novel instead of cutting it out. It’s effective, and it’s perhaps the best example of how masterfully the director manipulates and enlivens all of our senses in the film.
When it comes to the visual beauty of this place, there is a lushness to it, but it is not so perfect as to be off-putting. Quite the contrary, in fact. Despite the director’s renowned attention to detail, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s 35mm images have a tactile quality that heightens the sensations and makes them feel almost primal, as if they were shot on film. A subtle sensual tension is building beneath the surface as we see the wind gently blowing through the trees and sunlight streaking into Elio’s dark curls through an open bedroom window. While everything appears to be subtle and sensual, there is an inescapable tension beneath the surface.
Through the use of music, Guadagnino establishes a raw, immediate energy from the very beginning of the production. In the film’s elegant title sequence, we are drawn in by the intricate, insistent piano of contemporary classical composer John Adams’ intricate, insistent “Hallelujah Junction – 1st Movement,” while Sufjan Stevens’ plaintive, synthy “Visions of Gideon” plays during the film’s devastating final shot, which ends the film on an agonizingly sad note. (You’ll want to stay through the closing credits because that long, last image is absolutely captivating.) I have no idea how Chalamet managed to pull this off, but there is some serious talent on display here.)
About the quiz
A highlight of the film is the brilliant use of the Psychedelic Furs’ “Love My Way,” an iconic ’80s New Wave song that you’ve probably heard a million times before but will never hear in the same way again thanks to Guadagnino. He plays it for the first time at an outdoor disco, where Oliver is so moved by the bouncy, percussive beat that he can’t help but jump around to it and lose all sense of self-consciousness in the midst of the revelry. Being so close to someone who is feeling so free on the dance floor is a moment of pure joy for Elio, but it’s also as if a dam has broken within him as he watches this towering figure just go for it on the dance floor in his Converse high-tops. During the second performance, near the conclusion of Oliver and Elio’s journey, it feels like the soundtrack to a time capsule, as it captures a moment of seemingly limitless emotional possibility.
Also, you must try to play this Call Me By Your Name quiz.
They and we both understand that what they’ve discovered must come to an end. However, a beautiful monologue from Stuhlbarg, who is always excellent in the role of Elio’s warmhearted and open-minded father, helps to soften the blow a little. It’s one of a million reasons why “Call Me By Your Name” is by far and away the best film of the year, and it’s one of a million reasons why “Call Me By Your Name” is by far and away the best film of the year.
For more personality quizzes check this: The Possession Of Hannah Grace Quiz.
