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Call Me by Your Name (Italy) – Romance from the Master of Sensuality

Call Me by Your Name Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you’ve ever dreamed of falling in love under the Italian sun, this film may just take you to dreamland. Call Me by Your Name has all the ingredients for a perfect romantic film. It’s got sun, fresh food, beautiful people, lakes and rivers, and freedom. All you’ll need is a glass of wine.

Why Watch Call Me by Your Name?

If you like sensual romance (also see Guadagnino’s I Am Love)
To escape to the beautiful Italian summer
It’s been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars
If you like coming-of-age stories

The Breakdown

Call Me by Your Name starts with 17 year old Elio. He’s chilling in his parents house in Northern Italy with his girlfriend Marzia for his summer holidays. A few seconds later, Oliver arrives, a grad student from Elio’s dad’s university class in America. He’s come to Europe for the summer to help Elio’s dad with his research and lap up the Italian sun.

The Italy we see in Call Me by Your Name is the Italy we dream of. The sun is forever shining and the warm colours almost give off the heat. As this is set in the 1980s, before Internet, there are no phones or computers as we know today, and these guys don’t watch TV. Instead, they swim, play volleyball, lounge in the sun, eat Al-fresco, and read. It’s pretty much the ideal summer holiday – everyone is happy and relaxed. Plus, the beautiful environment heightens the beauty of everyone within it.

It’s also no surprise that Elio and Oliver are attracted to each other. Everything you see in their environment symbolizes the ripeness of their relationship. There are trees laden with ripe fruit, flies buzzing on and off the screen (you can always hear them), and fresh water. In addition, there’s the constant sun. The environment is a metaphor for their growing love for each other, identifying it before they do.

Whilst the sensual environment reveals their growing love to the audience, Elio and Oliver are still unaware of each other’s feelings. Instead, they performing an intellectual mating ritual in which they both try to show-off their proficiency in high art to the other. Firstly, Oliver manages to prove his intelligence by correcting Elio’s dad on the origins of the word ‘apricot.’ Secondly Elio gets his chance to show-off when he plays the guitar and piano. The ‘mating ritual’ finally ends when Oliver admits defeat and asks Elio if there is anything he doesn’t know which gives Elio the confidence to subtly declare his love.

Image result for call me by your name

Conclusion

If you’ve seen any of Guadagnino’s other films, you’ll know that he’s a master of sensuality. In Call Me by Your Name he doesn’t disappoint. It’s the perfect coming-of-age story of Elio’s first love. You’ll almost forget it’s a gay romance (if Oliver doesn’t keep repeating ‘let’s be good’) as this film is first and foremost a beautiful romance.

Dear Diary (Italy)

Dear Diary Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

You may have seen Rome and Italy in a number of films, but you have never seen it like it is in Dear Diary. Nanni Moretti will guide you around the country like the best tour guides – one that doesn’t care what people think of him. He parodies the Italians whilst making fun of himself for our entertainment. It’s a bit Monty Python esque and a bit Quixotic! Go watch this man’s stream of consciousness!

Why Watch Dear Diary?

For a visual stream of consciousness portrayal of Rome and Italy
It’s also a great comedy with plenty of parody
There’s a great soundtrack featuring Juan Luis Guerra and Cheb Khaled!
To see director Nanni Moretti dancing in a cafe

The Breakdown

Chapter 1. On My Vespa

‘Dear diary, there’s one thing I like the most.’ And cut to Nanni Moretti riding down the back streets of Rome on his Vespa. There’s music, there’s no cars, and the streets are beautifully lined with trees!

You know those moments when you are walking on your own and your mind starts to wander? Then a few minutes later you realise that you’ve walked a mile without paying attention to what you’ve walked past. Well, the only way I can describe this film is by comparing it to one of those moments. Nanni Moretti guides us around Rome, but as he keeps getting distracted as he is doing so and takes us on his tangents.

What’s even more amazing is that he even interrupts the improvised tour he takes us on. For example, in one scene he turns up at a group dancing merengue in a square in Rome. He walks up to the band singing and starts singing along with the lead singer. He’s kind of like a Don Quixote making his way around Rome. One thing is for sure, you’ll never get a tour of Rome like this!

Conclusion

Just like The Great Beauty this great Italian film just seems to flow naturally. But unlike The Great Beauty this film is funny as well! Where else are you going to see a Director riding around Rome on a Vespa while dancing to Cheb Khaled’s ‘Didi’. Plus, I haven’t even talked about the hilarious second chapter or the darkly funny third chapter. This is one to watch!

La Dolce Vita

Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

One of Fellinis classics, La Dolce Vita takes you on a tour of Rome’s superficial upper class world. This one is full of parties, affairs, and paparazzi.

Why watch La Dolce Vita?

Get a feel for that Italian culture without leaving your bed.
For a taste of Italy’s most famous director.
Get invited to a weird mix of parties with a crazy bunch of people.
Feel like someone famous as paparazzi follow you everywhere.

Two helicopters enter flying over Rome’s suburbs, one carrying a statue of Jesus. Children abandon football to chase after the two helicopters captured by sweeping camera movements. There’s even a nice shot of the helicopter carrying Jesus from the other helicopter. A pretty modern shot for the time. The helicopters approach a roof-party where a number of girls are sunbathing on the roof. One of the helicopter passengers leans out of the helicopter to ask for one of the girl’s number. He says he is taking Jesus to the Pope.

Paparrazi are everywhere. Watch out for the camera movement. It often moves with the paparazzi, putting you in their position. The camera moves quickly towards a famous subject just as the paparazzi swarm around them. We are always where there are famous or rich people and we are always invading people’s privacy. Where there is paparazzi there is something going on even if it is of their or Fellini’s own creation.

A superficial world is also presented cleverly by Fellini. I counted two times where non-diegetic music is then stopped by one of the characters on a nearby juke box or record player. What we think is real is actually fake. This superficiality of the parties Marcello attends also seem like big crazy attempts to entertain themselves. The superficiality reminded me of Antonioni’s L’Avventura released in the same year, like The Great Beauty (an homage to Fellini from 2013) and even, to an extent, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers (hah! Bet you didn’t expect that to be mentioned.).

Anyway, as a classic, I have to recommend watching this one, even if it is to please your inner film buff. As for Fellini, I did slightly prefer Nights of Cabiria. Enjoy.