Comparison Of Call Me By Your Name And Brokeback Mountain

“People who read are hiders. They hide who they are. People who hide don’t always like who they are.” “Do you hide who you are?” “Sometimes. Don’t you?” “Do I? I suppose.” (Aciman, 115) Both novel and film made a point to discuss identity. It plays a key role in the text not just as the character’s sexuality, but their faith as well. Both Elio’s family and Oliver are Jewish. Though they all wear the Star of David around their necks, one scene depicts Elio’s mother covertly covering his necklace with her hand. In a later scene, Oliver and Elio walk hand in hand. Wanting to appear eager, when they approach a group of young women dancing, Oliver runs forth to dance, leaving Elio behind. This increased level of concealment and questioning of

She makes the argument that “Call Me by Your Name” is successful as a peaceful romance because it too takes place outside the confines of society. Films such as “Call Me By Your Name” and “Brokeback Mountain” both feature nature as a character, allowing their seclusion to aid in becoming truthful and living as their honest selves. Partially due to this comparison, (as Variety reported at the film’s New York premiere) both Armie Hammer and Timotheé Chalamet agreed that to call the film “groundbreaking” would be an overstep, with Hammer describing the story as in fact archaic, “one of the oldest stories that we can tell, of two human beings falling in love.” When asked how he believes this film will read to American audiences in this contemporary political climate, Chalamet stated that the film is simply “an unabashed celebration of love.” This unabashed depiction of love and pride is a central theme in “Call Me By Your Name.” Like in it’s predecessor “Brokeback Mountain,” the term gay is only stated once. It is stated

As if expecting this criticism, filmmaker Luca Guadagnino instead chose to present queer desire through a new and innovative lens, by choosing to present it without tragedy. Elio’s parents are not only supportive, but downright obliging. From Elio’s perspective, he gets to explore his identity as a gay man with his parents support, his quasi-girlfriend’s compassion, and all the love and attention he could ever receive from Oliver. Elio is able to explore gay love and sex without an identity crisis, which is groundbreaking in a gay film, though it is crucial in defining the “queer experience.” As explained in an article for the British Film Institute, the “gay experience” consists of common actions and emotions, such as confusion, repression, denial, and fear. Some critics argue that perhaps this is what made both “Call Me By Your Name” and “Brokeback Mountain” so successful, that universal identity quest we all go on, paired with the youthful yearning for love that makes a story so compelling. In both films, this paradisiacal idea of love ends in heartbreak. Both films read like a dream, with beautiful scenery, scores, and dialogue. Moments fly by in both hot summer days and cold winter nights, with no end in sight. Yet, both endings leave the audience wide awake, heartbroken, feeling as if