Subversion of masculinity in Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Throughout film history, mainstream Hollywood has portrayed masculinity in accordance to particular conventions established by society, at the same time it has perpetuated these conventions furthermore.  As MacKinnon (2003) argues, films like the Coming Home (Ashby, 1978) or The Terminator (Cameron, 1984) carry a certain masculinity which is essentially linked with heterosexuality. This point is crucial as it demonstrates once again that films are linked to a political message and, in recent years, heterosexuality has shaped how we understand masculinity, transferring conventional feminine stereotypes to homosexual characters. These stereotypes have been subject of discussion in recent scholar studies. As Tasker (1993) suggests, film studies have been focusing on femininity and the construction of women, and therefore not approaching the figure of the ‘male hero’. Call Me By Your Name (Guadagnino, 2017) showcases the love story of Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) in Northern Italy during the 80s. The way masculinity has been portrayed in this Academy-award nominated film has caught the attention of many critics, as it deliberately repurposes masculinity as society understands it. 

Studies suggest sexism has become subtle and surreptitious (Benokraitis & Feagin, 1999). This ‘subtle sexism’ is preoccupying sociologists given by the fact it is unnoticeable and often appears as a lack of knowledge. Swim and Mallet (2004) reinforce this argument by stating ‘Sexist language is an example of subtle sexism in that it consists of speech that reinforces and perpetuates gender stereotypes and status differences between women and men’. This, applied to social conventions of masculinity and its portrayal in media, also fortifies on the assertion of gender inequality. The stereotypes regarding the male figure nowadays are present not only in media, but also in society as a whole. These stereotypes are both created by society and depicted in media but also perpetuated in media and carried by society. Men, according to recent studies, more likely to have a car accident, as 71% car accidents were caused by men in 2014 (NHTSA, 2014), or alcohol use disorder, with 12.4% among adult men versus 4.9% among adult women (American Psychiatric Association 2013). Alcohol use disorder and car accidents are given, reports Manago (2017), due to the masculinity stereotypes perpetuated through media, like risk-taking, aggression, self-reliance or restrictiveness. Despite that, Hollywood seems to be taking a new lead in the approach of masculinity, by teaching the audience a ‘new masculinity’ with films like Boyhood (Linklater, 2014) or Call Me By Your Name. 

Elio is the antithesis of stereotypical masculinity. The 17-year old piano and guitar player who fluently switches from Italian to French and English and discusses ancient literature and history, appears as a loving and caring character. His traits are completely opposite to the socially established ‘manly’ conventions. He is not portrayed with self-restraint, will power, honour nor courage, but rather represented as being passionate, vulnerable, openly scared and willing to show his emotions. Elio explores his sexuality throughout the film by being harmless to the people around him, by focusing on Oliver and on his feelings. Although he seems to be careless of society — for instance, the lake scene, where he grabs Oliver’s crotch as a way of rebelling against society and daring Oliver’s lead of the situation — there are moments in the film where his feelings conflict with reality and lead to a breakdown — as a visual example, the peach scene, where Elio masturbates with a peach and, when reflecting about what he had done, he bursts into tears as he is aware of the social connotations of his actions. Timothée Chalamet (2018, p. 99) reinforces this argument by mentioning his desire to have further impact in society and be able to inspire young men towards the ‘new masculinity’.  This is especially interesting as it shows it’s not only a process directors are interested in being a part of, but also actors, as they continue to portray more roles in which masculinity is not represented as an ideology. Mosse (1996, p. 6) comments ‘Ideals can take on human shapes most easily through the objectification of beauty’, which represents Elio’s character. He is not portrayed by someone very muscular, but rather by someone skinny and imperfect. Elio is not objectified, which gives the audience a closer insight into his life, into everything he really is. His counterpart, Oliver, showcases another type of beauty, which makes the chemistry between characters work effectively.

As mentioned previously, Oliver is firstly presented as the epitome of a stereotypical male. By the way he refers to Elio — for instance, him saying ‘Later’ or ‘Buddy’ —, but also in regard to his actions, taking control of the situation at all times. He is portrayed as the ‘American’, but as the film progresses we see Oliver evolve and profusely develop his feelings for Elio in a different way Elio develops his. Oliver is more knowledgeable of society’s discourse on his actions, and he tries to hide himself, showcasing once again a toxic masculinity that represents mainstream Hollywood. At the same time, his vocal tone is much deeper in the beginning of the film, distant and macho like. When Elio’s playing Capriccio BWV 992 (Bach, n.d.), Oliver requests to play it in the original tone, as Elio had changed the tempo of it. Elio responds by reducing his voice to grunting, which seems to make Oliver change his tone from then onwards. In a way, Elio frees Oliver from his macho facade. Mosse (1996) points out ‘Stereotyping means that men and women are homogenised, considered not as individuals but as types’. Oliver and Elio are two male, but they’re both portrayed in different ways, in unique ways that make them who they are, not a male or a female, but their inner selves. In this romance, stepping outside stereotypes plays a crucial role in immersing the audience into the film’s world, as Elio and Oliver as seen as individuals, rather than simply two males. The audience makes a connection with the characters as they get to know them, without any preconceived ideas. 

Following from character development, it is also crucial to refer to the sexual encounters throughout the film and how they subvert stereotypical masculinity. Elio’s sex scenes with Marzia are shown with rather unconventional framings and wide shots, which seems unnatural to the audience as the frame appears as unrecognisable at first glance. That specific reaction also causes a disconnection from the interaction, which is unfrequent to happen in such scenes. Elio uses these encounters as a source of pride, as he is detached from his personality in order to lead the action and follow traditional cultural conventions. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the sexual encounters with Oliver are shown with little to no detail, which produces such intimacy the audience feels they shouldn’t be witnessing it. The closeness of the scenes is enough, as the sexual tension has already built up by previous scenes and embraces both characters’ sexuality and ecstasy. Elio’s pursuit of Oliver is much more fraught compared to Marzia’s, their love shifts and flourishes by being careless of cultural judgment. Call Me By Your Name wonders around how the dynamics of a stereotypical male-female relationship — where male dominates and female is subjugated — work in a same sex couple. From various scenes in the film we glimpse their desire to be subjugated — as an opposition to their stereotypical role as male — but, interestingly enough, want to dominate and play around roles, given by their homoerotic desire. Williams (2018) points out ’Sex in movies is especially volatile: it can arouse, fascinate, disgust, bore, instruct and incite’. In the case of Call Me By Your Name, it showcases once again the inclination of the film to break but also play with masculine stereotypes. It instructs the audience on various ways Elio and Oliver navigate through sexuality and masculinity.

Lastly, it is interesting to investigate the father figure in Call Me By Your Name. Mr Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) delivers a comforting speech to Elio when Oliver goes back home at the end of the film. This speech, which is delivered in an organic cadence particularly interesting for such literary monologue, summarises the parenthood relationship Elio has with his parents. It is quite rare in LGBT films to portray parents with such frictionless relationship, which allows Elio to explore his sexuality while remaining unambiguously accepting of his life choices. It functions as a tender family dynamic that allows the audience to understand Elio’s coming-of-age process. Films like Brokeback Mountain (Lee, 2005) or Boys Don’t Cry (Pierce, 1995) depict the survival of LGBT characters in a society that has tried to make them disappear. Whilst these films are crucial to the LGBT agenda, as they commemorate and make the audience remember the oppression suffered by the LGBT community, new-coming films like Moonlight (Jenkins, 2016) or Call Me By Your Name go a step further by re-imagining the possibility beyond that struggle. In recent years, depictions of good parenthood in LGBT films help showcase ways heterosexual parents may accept homosexuality, as society is still learning how acceptance looks like and how to express it. Mr Perlman distorts from stereotypical fatherhood, usually associated with ‘physical prowess, sexual virility, social dominance and aggression’ (Feasey, 2008), as he is shown as someone loving, generous and caring. In Stella Bruzzi’s (2005) book, she refers to nostalgia as means of idealising the conventional father, which correlates to her early argument on films mostly portraying fathers as seen through the eyes of a child. This, Bruzzi states:

One reason for the relative lack of identificatory father figures is that Hollywood Dads rarely engage in conversations about their feelings or about being a father (in fact emotional inarticulacy is a common trait among Hollywood’s traditional fathers). Consequentially, the father is more likely to be the focus of identification when he has been propelled into a situation that necessitates such talking, such as when he becomes the lone or the surrogate father.

(Bruzzi 2005: 15)

This is an observation that can be usefully applied to stereotypical masculinity and, consequently, fatherhood. It is interesting to understand how fatherhood in Call Me By Your Name adds another layer of depth to Elio’s self development.

After going in depth on various ways Call Me By Your Name makes use of stereotypical masculinity — such as character development or framing —, it is made clear of the artistic — and possibly political — decision to subvert conventional masculinity in a way the story is not disrupted but enforced with it. Elio’s character is profoundly relatable due to that subversion, since we mentioned his awkwardness and sensitivity as part of his character. Oliver, on the other side, portrays the stereotypical male at first glance, but by going in depth into his character, the audience can also feel sympathetic for him as he shows a phase many men go through in life; figuring out their personality by staying away from ideals and conventions. Elio and Oliver’s relationship adds one more piece to Guadagnino’s romance strategy that enhances a new take on masculinity, with sex scenes being extremely crucial to understand their actions throughout the film. Call Me By Your Name, Moonlight or King Cobra (Kelly, 2016) step away from stereotypical masculinity in order to allow audiences to understand different approaches on male characters, showing and stating that masculinity is a social construct and, by breaking that, they’re are also allowing the film industry to keep moving forward. Interestingly enough, most films that are subverting masculinity by creating characters that are opposed to those conventions are mostly LGBT films. This reflection generates the discussion of wether traditional feminine traits are still being transferred to homosexual characters or wether it is having an impact on heterosexuality to open up the discussion on destroying stereotypical masculinity.

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FILMOGRAPHY

Boys Don't Cry (1999) [Film] Directed by Kimberly PEIRCE. United States: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) [Film] Directed by Ang LEE .United States: Focus Features.

Call Me By Your Name (2017) [Film] Directed by Luca GUADAGNINO. United States: Sony Pictures Classics.

Coming Home (1978) [Film] Directed by Hal ASHBY. United States: United Artists.

King Cobra (2016) Directed by Justin KELLY [Film]. United States: IFC Midnight.

Moonlight (2016) [Film] Directed by Barry JENKINS. United States: A24.

The Terminator (1985) [Film] Directed by James CAMERON. United States: Orion Pictures.