Based on André Aciman’s 2007 novel of the same name, Call Me By Your Name stars Armie Hammer as a 24-year-old American scholar who unwittingly falls in love with a 17-year old boy (Timothee Chalamet).
Related: Armie Hammer Discusses Marriage Equality, Banging Leo DiCaprio, And His Dominant Sex Life
The film was the talk of Sundance, as much for the chemistry between its two male stars as for its explicit sex scenes.
“It’s really a story about passionate first love…”21-year-old Chalamet explained to They Hollywood Reporter last year. “I would hope that people are either brought back to that experience of a passionate first love – and for audience members like myself, you’re transported to a place you haven’t been in your life, of a passionate first love.”
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Sony Pictures Classics has finally released a trailer for the film, which opens November 24.
Watch below:
Xzamilloh
“Precocious teen” makes him sound a lot younger than the fictional 17 in the film… maybe not use that term lol
MikeE
good lord, my thoughts exactly.
by 17 I’d already been out of the closet for 2 years.
Hussain-TheCanadian
Gawd Armie is so fine, that voice of his can get me to do anything he wants.
gary69mike
I know, right?
Mykey
Whatever the age of consent, doesn’t this make gays look like serial pedophiles out to get your kids? At least that’s what the straights would think… Besides, the 17 y.o. does look quite young…
Donston
It is what it is. It’s disappointing that almost every high-profile “gay movie” either involves a couple with a decent and somewhat concerning age and maturity difference and/or is about “confused” individuals in the midst of “passionate love”. And they of course always star hetero-identifying actors. As I said, it is what it is. The industry doesn’t seem interested in homo relationships, especially men, beyond these tropes.
Hammer is a stud. And Chalamet is a cutie. And the film has gotten very good reviews.
mujerado
That’s what “the straights” would think? Do all straight people think alike? I hadn’t noticed that in my 50+ years as a gay activist. No more than all gay people are the same.
baggins435
Pedophile means you’re attracted to prepubescent children, NOT teenagers.
Lvng1Tor
@baggins435 Thank you. “Pedophile” is so over used and most of the time wrongly used as well. It misrepresents human sexuality. It’s about a 24yr old and a 17yr old not a 34yr old and a 17 or what ever. When I was 17 I had a wonderful affair with a 25yr old man. We lived in the same apartment complex and it grew from a great guy who saw a younger gay kid who needed a friend he could talk to. And from that grew a short and beautiful romance. We don’t get the opportunity (changing but not enough) to meet and date other gay men our own age while in high school. I am not endorsing older younger dating or sexual relationships. Just saying I can understand it and context matters. Falling in love with someone younger than you (someone who is old enough to reasonably reciprocate and is within an acceptable age range) is not necessarily predatory. No matter what…it ain’t pedophilia.
Chris
Whoever complains about gay men’s (fictional) behaviors, remind them that Nabokov’s Lolita (for which he won numerous literary prizes) was all of 12 or 13.
Donston
That’s hardly an appealing comparison considering neither the novel nor film was a “love story”. The leading characters were presented an obsessive, deranged pedo and a megalomaniac nympho.
jjose712
Donston is obvious that you didn’t read Call me by your name, because frankly i wouldn’t describe the novel as a love story either.
The comparision is not good because the age gap is very short in this case and it was a consent relationship.
I hated the novel (i know a lot of people love Aciman’s novel but it wasn’t my case). It’s even very difficult to know if the characters are gay, experimental or what.
The young one keeps the whole novel lusting for the older guy while he is screwing his girlfriend.
I didn’t feel any empathy for any of them but it’s not about abuse and the age gap is not that significative, and frankly there are a lot of straight novels with similar themes (in europe Federico Moccia’s novels are very popular, and one of his most famous ones is about a 17 girl who fall in love with a 38 man)
Donston
No, I haven’t read the novel. Only the first 1-4 several years ago. And it didn’t keep my interest. The age difference isn’t much. But it’s startling for the film considering just how young Chalamet appears and Hammer looking much older than 24. And the “but there are straight novels like this” isn’t much of an argument. Ratios should be considered, since most books are “straight”. And no body is genuinely looking at those novels as “love stories” or trying to adapt them as such.
But as I mentioned, despite whatever quality the film has to offer, it’s yet another “gay” project that isn’t interested in truly portraying and examining a gay relationship but rather treating it as some fantastical, mystical, frustrating, “passionate” thing. And that’s the issue I’m having.
Donston
Also, I was talking about Lolita in the first post in case there was any confusion.
Smith David
The entire movie looks like a C***tease
jcoberkrom
Just from the preview I believe that hopelessly hetero Armie is inamoured with this young man. Will the Oscars be brave enough to give him a nod?
Donston
Chalamet has gotten the more stand-out praise thus far.
Donston
The industry seems to be obsessed with telling us that “gay love” is fleeting, subversive, impractical and often tragic. And it never seems to arise out of genuine sexual attraction and understanding but rather “discovery”, confusion, frustration and “passion”. I guess that’s because the industry is filled with closet cases, pedophiles, men who are only attracted to very young men and/or “straight guys” and people who use their sexual behavior to indulge fetish and megalomania. I’ve just accepted this long ago.
However, as I mentioned, the reviews are very good, so I’m judge this on its own merits.
cancorv
Donston, I don’t think you can hold the film industry responsible for the content of a book that it has chosen. I think when you’ve read the book, you’ll see that it is does not drown in the angst you are implying.
Donston
I’ve read some of it, and I’m aware that the movie is not some dreary-fest. Although, it doesn’t actually reflect something that resembles a real relationship but is rather another movie about people “discovering” themselves, being in a state of confusion and indulging a passionate “tryst”. It’s probably a very good movie. But Hollywood seems obsessed with presenting gay relationships as these fragmented, fantastical, short-lived, sex-based affairs when they’re not presenting them as tragic. And most “queer” actors and filmmakers don’t seem invested in telling any real stories about us. From a story perspective this isn’t anything that wasn’t explored in many films of 80’s. A quality movie though it might be it doesn’t represent any change-up in how Hollywood movies approach homosexuality, particularly male homosexuality.
cancorv
Maybe we can live without Hollywood. There are lots of films in festivals around the world which we rarely get to see or even know about. And I have sneaking suspicion that they would meet some of your requirements 🙂 Hollywood can go on making money and the rest of them can go on making art!
Donston
There are some quality non-Hollywood flicks that work outside of those parameters. It’s just disappointing that a supposedly progressive industry (although we know how fraudulent that mask is) still doesn’t know what to do with homosexual relationships beyond making them steamy, short-fused affairs and/or making them tragic. They can’t step away from presenting homosexuality (particularly male homosexuality) as something outside of a fantasy, a fetish or a tragedy. Nevermind their inability or lack of desire at presenting fleshed out gay characters outside of the “romantic drama” story.
But I’ve accepted all this long ago. And I look forward to the movie.
Ryan Field
This might be the best movie ever made, however, everyone’s overlooking a few important factors. It’s not a gay classic and it’s not a gay romance. It’s a romantic drama with “homosexual” characters and retro homophobic content. The book is the same. From what I gather, the book was written by a straight man who has little knowledge of classic gay culture, but he knows how to write a decent book about the tortures of being gay. And Hollywood knows how to exploit gays for all they are worth. It is what it is.
Donston
I wouldn’t go that hard. This apparently is not another “gay tragedy”. The movie may be great. But I’m just tired of these high-profile awards-baity movies with hunky straight actors portraying characters who are “discovering” themselves and are in the midst of confusion and passion. It’s like they know no other way of presenting homo and homo-dominant men in film or aren’t interested in presenting homosexuality in any other light. And you can tell a story that features a leading character in a homosexual relationship that isn’t entirely driven by their sexual orientation or sexual behavior. But the industry doesn’t seem to be aware of this.
jasentylar
They have to be able to market the film. A movie based on a true depiction of our relationships might not be a money maker in their eyes. E’re not there yet
Alan down in Florida
Armie Hammer didn’t look 24 in The Social Network and by no means passes for 24 here.
Donston
Hammer looks much older than 24, and Chalamet looks not quite 17. So, that doesn’t help perception.
cancorv
Maybe the author of this article, Dan Tracer, has read André Aciman’s novel on which this film is based and used “precocious” to describe the 17 year old other than sexually. He speaks languages, has had / is having a “classical education” in more ways than one, is highly sensitive to the use of language, people’s gestures, clothing and he is a classical pianist who spends his time writing piano transcriptions of orchestral works. He leads an idyllic life with educated, cultured and well-off people on the Italian coast. The book is one of the most astounding pieces of writing I have ever read. According to the Dan Tracer, the film opens in November – that gives you plenty of time to read the book – it’s a most joyous experience.
Luvstoread
As a voracious reader, guess I need to read the book. Hope it’s on Kindle. Of course, the book is usually better than the movie.
zoomlens
In the sequel, the younger man grows up to be President of France.
cancorv
Sounds plausible.
jjose712
Not possible, the young guy is italian
daddybear
I love the shot.
jasentylar
It’s a beautiful film.
Smith David
@jasentylar…you made an excellent point in your earlier comments about the movie being marketable.
I find that this is also true for Hollywood’s struggle with diversity. I don’t mean to go off subject but we have to remember that this is a business that will always put profit over what should be culturally accurate. The same idea applies to the ideology of homosexuality portrayed in Hollywood films.
Aromaeus
I’m gonna give this a hard pass. I’m sure Hollywood is patting themselves on the back but I’m really over the “established adult comes to the realization of his sexuality with a teenager” storylines. It’s creepy as f*ck and I don’t care how many of you have f*cked an older man when you were a thotty teenager so you think it’s perfectly normal.
jjose712
Frankly, the novel (which i hated) is not about that at all
Herman75
Ripped from the Twitter headlines. LOL Did a straight man write that?
Hammer did not seduce a teen. That is such total bvllsh!t.
And the kid is not precocious. Elio is a musical genius, and a horny as fvck teenager wrestling with his want for a 24 year old grad student. Elio went for it. He was not seduced at all.