Falling in love for the first time is unexpected, messy and confusing. This is portrayed perfectly in Luca Guadanino’s newest film, Call Me By Your Name. It’s the story of 17 year old Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and his relationship with his father’s teaching assistant Oliver (Armie Hammer) over one summer in Italy.

The whole cast brings their A game to this movie. Timothee Chalamet has had a good year, also appearing in Greta Gerwig’s widely-acclaimed Lady Bird, but he gives his best performance by far in this movie. His ability to express a wide range of emotions through his facial expressions alone is stunning, and complements his chemistry with co-star Armie Hammer.

Armie Hammer gives a remarkable performance as well. He has moved on from his Lone Ranger phase and proved himself as a serious actor.

2017’s supporting actor extraordinaire, Micheal Stuhlbarg, who also appears in The Shape of Water and The Post, plays Elio’s father and he is phenomenal. His role is small, but his monologue at the end of the movie is one of the most real, well written and well-delivered pieces of dialogue I’ve ever seen. That monologue alone will bring many to tears and Stuhlbarg deserves an Oscar nomination for that scene alone.

The film is based on a book of the same name written by Andre Aciman, but James Ivory’s screen adaptation is truly magnificent. While the film is extremely well-written, it’s structure is a bit unorthodox, lacking a traditional narrative based on a conflict of some sort. Rather, the film focuses on the development of a relationship, which makes it feel like you are watching real life play out.

Call Me By Your Name is a beautiful movie of self-discovery and acceptance. The performances across the board are fantastic. The cinematography and set design highlight the beautiful Italian landscape. Call Me By Your Name is one of 2017s best films and is expanding its release due to its wide acclaim at recent awards.

Score 8/10