Certificate 15
Duration 129 mins
Film starts approximately 21.00
DJ from 18.45: JONJO JURY
Set in Northern Italy in the 1980s, with lush location photography and an almost tangible sense of summertime, the story follows the highly sensitive and intelligent 17 year-old Elio as he gradually falls under the spell of Oliver, an American research assistant hired for the season by Elio’s archaeologist father. Long hot days by the pool, bicycle rides to nearby towns and conversation filled family dinners are the backdrop to Elio and Oliver’s burgeoning affair, a meeting of perfectly matched minds as well as powerful emotions.
Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer are perfectly cast as Elio and Oliver respectively, lighting up the already sun drenched screen with intelligence, wit, physicality and sense of fun and mischief; this is most definitely not a doom-laden tale of impossible love. There are even some light hearted dance sequences with Hammer displaying his best 80s moves to the sound of The Psychedelic Furs.
Director Luca Guadagnino (also known for I Am Love and A Bigger Splash) and screenwriter James Ivory (who won an Oscar for his adaptation of Andre Aciman’s novel) have created a romantic reverie that will leave you swooning while also pondering the eternal mystery of love. Experiencing this film – one that glows with heat, passion and beauty – in the beautiful surroundings of the Somerset House courtyard, filled with summer lovers, promises to be an experience not to be missed and never to be forgotten.
