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pb's Replies
There is an interview mit Andre Aciman, where he states that many interpretations of the sentence "Does Mom know?" are valid. He said that he likes it when it stays unclear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Fg6aN-7KE (starting at 2:00)
1) And Oliver is from a working-class family in a small town in New England in the early 1980s. His family would probably not be comfortable if he suddenly has a boyfriend. I felt that Elio, although younger, was more comfortable with his sexuality.
2) I haven't read the book and in the film the father's scene seems to be rather vague about what happened in his youth. I wouldn't say it's quite clear that the father is bisexual, but it's a possibility, probably left open for the audience to think about it. But then it's generally hard to categorize people ultimately into a certain kind of sexuality. Anyway, both parents were loving and close to her son, and the mother drives her crying son home from the train station (which should have given her also a clue that this was more than a normal friendship).
First I have to say, I'm not an American and so I find this "Democrats/Liberals" vs. Republicans/Conseratives"-thing on many boards rather boring and stressful. I like some of the movies you mention like "Brokeback Mountain" (I haven't seen "Lady Bird" yet), but I would agree with you about "Moonlight". I found it pale in comparison to "La La Land", and I doubt that it would have won without the OscarsSoWhite-debate and the sudden eagerness of the Academy to prove that they are not racist.
"Call Me By Your Name" is a small movie but with great leading actors, a classy screenplay by the great James Ivory, beautiful Italian landscapes, a nice soundtrack and wonderful directing by Luca Guadagnino. The pacing is perhaps slow for some Superhero-film-fans, but it feels like a lazy Italian summer and like you spent the whole summer with the family through this. And it's a bit different than most films with gay characters, for example Elio's parents are understanding and not homophobic. There is also no preachy or dogmatic "gay rights" speech in the film, although we get that at least Arnie Hammer's character has problems with being gay (or bisexual, in fact both leading men also have affairs with women in the film). It's a sensual, light and beautiful love story, and the most revolutionary would be that it's not always in the foreground that it's a gay love story.
There is not really much political attitude inserted into the film. And this might be one the reasons why it has a better rating than most of the films you mention.