Amidst some beautiful Italian rusticity, we are introdcued to the "Perlman" family. It's the father (Michael Stuhlbarg) who has employed American "Oliver" (Armie Hammer) to help out with some research, and that involves living-in with his family of wife "Annella" (Amira Casar) and teenage son "Elio" (Timothée Chalamet) at their villa. Initially, they just call him "later" as that's his most often used expression as he takes his leave, but gradually they take to this man who appears to have depths that bely his slightly friendly but diffident attitude. It's the young "Elio" who seems most smitten. He's only seventeen but has a maturity that seems beyond his years as he uses his own substantial polyglot intellect to engage with their visitor. Though he's flirting like mad with his childhood friend "Marzia" (Esther Garrel) it's quite clear that his relationship with "Oliver" is passing the infatuation stage and heading into uncharted territory for both men - and the onlooking parents. With the sun shining, the wine flowing and the swimming tempting, Luca Guadagnino now takes us on a beautifully crafted story that is more than a rite of passage, or a typical "coming of age" drama - it's a love story that I felt at times was joyous and optimistic and yet, ultimately, somewhat cruel. The outwardly confident "Elio" has been raised in a loving and tactile family environment and so finds this emotional exposure he now faces both exhilarating and terrifying, and the sylphlike Chalamet really does deliver that vulnerability - and playfulness - like an experienced hand, whilst Hammer walks a path that I was never quite sure of. Is he just playing games with the young man, does he really care? Is it all just to pass the time during his visit or it it more? The location settings are gorgeous and the combination of a sparing script from James Ivory and some poignantly mixed musical themes ranging from Bach to Giorgio Moroder contribute to an aesthetic that is both ideally sheltering and yet hot-blooded at the same time. This is a film that seems to get better with age, and for just over two hours we are immersed in something that's really quite natural.
