As our former collaborator Steven Cohen already so eloquently and thoroughly reviewed this film on Blu-ray, I’ll let his words cover this portion. I thought this was a fantastic film when I finally got around to seeing it, but I don’t think I can do a better job than Steven detailing this film. At least not without making an Armie Hammer joke or two…
"Based on André Aciman's novel of the same name, the story takes place in the 1980s and focuses on Elio (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17-year-old who lives with his parents in Italy. Needing a research assistant, Elio's father (Michael Stuhlbarg) hires an American grad student, Oliver (Armie Hammer), to help him with his work. While living with the family for the summer, Oliver develops an initially contentious friendship with Elio, but soon their connection starts to evolve in unexpected ways. As Elio explores his burgeoning sexual identity, the two men open themselves up to romance.
When we first meet Elio and Oliver, their interactions together are mostly inconsequential, with little hint of what will eventually unfold. Gradually, however, we start to see a curiosity in Elio toward the older man which slowly forms into a genuine longing and infatuation, initially masked by prickly antagonism. Palpable tension soon starts to delicately mount beneath the surface of their scenes together, layering escalating emotional subtext under otherwise innocuous conversations and outings. It's clear that something is forming between them, but the attraction remains completely unspoken. Until it's not.
The manner in which the director and performers handle this central relationship is quite powerful, creating an effortlessly natural, lived-in quality to the characters that makes their coupling feel so intimate and honest. Hammer conveys Oliver's outward confidence with charm, but it becomes clear that this surface bravado really only hides his fear of letting anyone in too close. For his part, Chalamet is equally convincing as Elio, fully selling the character's confusion, insecurities, misplaced aggression, and surprising courage."
Read Steven's full Call Me By Your Name Blu-ray Review
Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Call Me By Your Name takes a vacation to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for the first time exclusively with the 11-film Sony Pictures Classics 30th Anniversary Collection. Pressed on a BD-100 disc, the disc is housed in a standard case with a set-exclusive slipcover. The disc loads to a static image main menu with traditional navigation options and the bonus features panel along the right side of the screen.
After an already excellent Blu-ray release, I wasn’t sure how well Sony could top that disc but sure enough, this 2160p 1.85:1 Dolby Vision transfer is one of the showstopper pieces of this collection. Image clarity, fine details both see immediate improvements. This film looks incredible for a destination period film with intricate set design, artwork, and clothing. Fine facial features are on full display without issue. Film grain is intact for a richly cinematic appearance. Even in the darkest sequences, there's an appreciable sense of three-dimensional depth.
The Dolby Vision pass takes an already exotic and warm-looking image and makes it look even more appealing. Those lush yellows and greens are given extra care and attention. Primaries get their moments of pop without ever looking oversaturated or skewing skin colors out of whack. There are many sequences in twilight or low light that never lose clarity or depth with strong shadow separation and deep inky black levels. From top to bottom it’s a beautiful transfer and a worthwhile upgrade for this collection.
Sony also sounds to have used the same very strong DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix from the previous release. While not always the most dynamic track ever, it is a very effective listening experience. Dialog is clean and clear throughout without any issues. Scoring is lovely and fits the intimate nature of the film. Busier sequences, especially a large party sequence opens up and fully use all the surround channels. While this is mostly front/center focused, there’s plenty of background effects working to keep the show lively and engaging
Again on the bonus features front, Sony hasn’t cobbled together any new extras that we didn’t already see in the last release.
Call Me By Your Name was one powerful dramatic punch of a film when it was first released and it still holds up today. It cemented Timothée Chalamet as the breakout star of his generation of actors. A gorgeous production and a splendor to look at, the film makes a fitting arrival on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a terrific Dolby Vision transfer, solid audio, and the same set of bonus features. Highly Recommended.
