The Comparison between Two Classical Films, “Call Me by Your Name” and “Your Name Engraved Herein”
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (2020), a former Icelandic Prime Minister, the first openly gay head of state, said that “it is absolutely imperative that every human being’s freedom and human rights are respected, all over the world.” Society nowadays is friendlier to all kinds of human beings. Different varieties of movies appear in the market. “Call Me by Your Name” is a romantic drama film. The story is about Elio, a 17-year-old boy, who had a crush on Oliver, an assistant of his father. “Your Name Engraved Herein” is also a romance film, which is about the relationship between the two boys, Ahan and Birdy. This essay will discuss similarities and differences between both films from three aspects, societal settings, enlightenment of same-sex love, and families’ attitudes.
First, the similar societal settings set in both films are neither liberal nor open-minded. The social background of “Call Me by Your Name” is set in 1890s Italy. Benito Mussolini announced that homosexuals must be persecuted at that time. Although the policy did not exist in the 1980s, it still had a deep influence throughout the 20th. In this film, Elio subconsciously hid his love for Oliver, avoiding discovery by both his parents and friends, which reflects the pressure Elio feels about being perceived as gay. Similarly, the movie “Your Name Engraved Herein” takes place in the 1980s, which is the period marked by the lifting of martial law. Prejudice was pervasive in society, and people did not have the freedom of speech and thoughts. In the film, the police arrested a man who held a homosexual sign poster in public. This plot is based on the true story of Dayway Chief’s arrest by the police due to his advocacy for same-sex marriage(1986). At that time, the government forbade the behavior and thoughts related to homosexuality. The background in both countries, Italy and Taiwan, and the atmosphere of societies are conservative and not liberal enough.
Secondly, Both films are talking about the enlightenment of same-sex love, but use completely different ways to describe how characters interact with each other. The theme of “Call Me by Your Name” focuses on the short, passionate, and ignorant love between teenagers. The director tries to avoid the common flaws that can be seen in many similar topic movies, such as an enforced choice between two lovers. Also, he wants audiences to pay attention to the story of teenagers’ relationship and general life “in the moment”, instead of antagonists, the tragedy, and the same-sex topic. Consequently, most of the scenes are describing Elio’s emotions during his interaction with Oliver. Elio, who seems to be a puppy lover, is continuously trying to understand Oliver’s thoughts throughout the film. He is adventurous and desires Oliver’s love, while Oliver is cautious and afraid of taking risks. They had a crush on each other, and spent a summer vacation together. Although Oliver did not express his love to Elio in the film, he still accepts Elio’s love secretly, which can be seen as details in the movie. As opposed to “Call Me By Your Name”, “Your Name Engraved Herein” emphasizes depicting the homosexual difficulties in society. Ahan and Birdy are high school classmates. The movie uses imagery to describe the struggle and unfriendly environment for homosexuality. For instance, a homosexual character is seriously bullied by classmates in school. It shows what a cruel situation will be if someone comes out of the closet in public. Also, when Birdy is aware of his love for Ahan, he chooses to hide his love and wants to escape from the truth by dating another girl to prove he is “normal.” Both films are of the same topic about the same-sex love, but characters present different reactions and responses to each other.
Lastly, another significant difference between both films is the families’ attitudes towards youngsters. In the end of “Call Me by Your Name”, Eilo’s father said that “we ripe out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should. And we are bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time when we start with someone new.” He teaches his son that if there is sorrow or pain right now, do not kill it, but to enjoy what you feel. His father encourages and supports his son, though the atmosphere is not open-minded at that time. By contrast, in the film, "Your Name Engraved Herein", the parents are strongly opposed to teen love. For example, Birdy’s father went to the school and had a fight with him because Birdy was dating a girl. In this case, the father shows a traditional mindset that a child shouldn’t be allowed to have unusual behavior in their teenage years. Both parents clearly demonstrate their totally different perspective on the issue of teen love.
In summary, both classical films present some similarities and differences in their background settings, depictions of characters, and the attitudes of their parents. For me, Both films are completely different kinds of movies. Watching “Call Me by Your Name” immerses me in the romantic world where Elio and Oliver had a briefly passionate relationship, focusing on the simple interactions between teens. On the other hand, “Your Name Engraved Herein” not only reminds me of the difficult situation of homosexuality in the early years, but also makes me reflect how liberal we are nowadays. People at that time had struggles to accept the same-sex love, and had to hide it secretly. Both films have their own imagery about love, emphasizing that romantic connections can exist beyond the boundaries of gender.
Reference
Sigurðardóttir. (Feb, 17, 2020). Respect Every Human's Freedom and Rights. Laidlaw Scholars Network. https://laidlawscholars.network/posts/it-is-imperative-to-respect-every-human-s-freedom-and-rights
祁家威. (1986, September 3). In Wikipedia.