*Contains spoilers*

An excellent film I recently saw was Call Me By Your Name featuring Timothy Chalamet and Armie Hammer as his love interest. The film is a homosexual love story between Chalamet and Hammer. The reason I picked the film was it was free on Amazon Prime and I’d also loved Chalamet in Dune and Dune 2.

The build up is slow but yet still satisfying. Hammer is Chalamet’s father’s assistant for his research. The film is set in northern Italy but Chalamet’s family often speak in French so their characters are French in the film. They spend their summers in Northern Italy. Its not immediately clear when the film is set but at one point there is a picture with a date of 1980 on it and also the lack of computers and smartphones indicates this film is from a few decades ago.

One of the best hair raising (and emotionally charged) moments is when Chalamet’s father reads a story to Chalamet about an old (medieval) story of a knight and a princess. The knight is reluctant to declare his feelings to the princess. The story ends rather dramatically with the knight asking the princess ‘if it is better for a man to speak or die?’ Up until this point Chalamet’s feelings towards Hammer are not obvious at all, in fact Chalamet criticizes Hammer at least once (he criticizes one of Hammer’s mannerisms). But things become very clear in this scene that Chalamet and Hammer have more than a friendship. Its unclear whether Chalamet’s father deliberately picks that story to try to encourage Chalamet to make a move on Hammer. Or whether the story just so happens to be suggested due to some other reason. Chalamet’s father is an excellent parental figure throughout the film and a very enlightened and understanding person so this is certainly possible. Anyway the next day by the pool Chalamet brings up the story. Hammer is familiar with it and he asks Chalamet rather openly whether the knight ‘speaks or not?’ Chalamet replies with ‘he does not, he fudges.’ But they pretty quickly begin a love affair in the subsequent scenes.

The atmosphere is very relaxed and casual. The couple cycle around in their bicycles in the Italian summer and sunshine. They spend time swimming in the river. Both have girlfriends before they begin the relationship with each other so they have to avoid the two girlfriends or make excuses in this part. There are several love scenes. Two between Chalamet and Hammer. One with Chalamet and his girlfriend. Chalamet oddly has sex with his girlfriend all the while he is in love with Hammer. A theme of the film is that the pair of them are fighting their homosexual nature, trying to fit in with friends, society and parents by having girlfriends and being heterosexual. A very important message in my opinion.

Ultimately the film ends on a sad note with Hammer announcing his marriage (to someone else, who would presumably be a woman at that time since gay marriage wasn’t legal then). Chalamet then goes and cries by the fire. Of course the audience is reassured by the excellent parent of Chalamet’s father.

The sound track of the film is also pretty excellent.