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****
Dir: Luca Guadagnino (15, 130 mins)
A coming of age/coming out love story from the director of arthouse faves I Am Love and A Bigger Splash, this has teenager Timothee Chalamat’s Elio falling under the spell of cocky American Armie Hammer in beautiful Lombardy. Chalamat is the son of an archaeologist/art historian professor and intellectual mother played by an excellent Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar. Elio initially finds Hammer’s visiting student an enigmatic annoyance, but quickly becomes infatuated with his good looks and intelligence in the sweltering Italian sunshine, despite attempting to prove his heterosexuality. As the summer develops so does their relationship and the directionless Elio gains some clarity through love and a memorable use of peaches. Ravishingly shot with strong performances and an undulating sensuality, this is an arthouse romance full of intelligence, both intellectual and emotional, propelled by richly drawn characters on journeys of discovery.
Opens Oct 27