Call Me by Your Name Page #14

ELIO:

Mom called them that.

PERLMAN:

...and then accept gifts from them.

Is it because they’re gay or

because they’re ridiculous? Is that

it? I hope not. And if you know as

much about economics when you’re

Zafar’s age you’ll be a very wise

man indeed and a credit to me. Now

get into this.

66.

The shirt isn’t so bad: a loose Hawaiian one with big white

flowers on a black background. ELIO changes into it.

98 EXT. TABLE UNDER THE LIME TREES -PERLMAN VILLA -EVENING 98

ELIO bounds into the living room, where PERLMAN is servingLAUREL and HARDY champagne, making something of an entrance.

They rise and salute him with their glasses, exclaiming and

exchanging delighted glances as their host’s beautiful son

descends in their midst wearing the shirt they had given him.

PERLMAN and ANNELLA look at ELIO for a moment, as if seeing

him anew, then pour out a glass of champagne for him. On the

table in front of them are a number of big black and white

photographs of the bronze Boxer being pulled up out of the

water.

99 INT. LIVING ROOM -PERLMAN VILLA -LATER 99

ELIO is playing the piano. For his final selection, he has

chosen a piece by Poulenc. The others listen almost

reverently. His wristwatch is on the piano.

As he is concluding, OLIVER comes in from outside and makes

his way towards the stairs. The others turn as he passes. He

smiles in greeting, and makes “I don’t want to disturb you”

motions with his hands before disappearing. ELIO is

unperturbed. The sudden appearance of OLIVER may inject a

dash of fire to the final -if wee-bit hurried -notes.

ELIO stands up as his audience applauds and makes a little

bow.

ELIO:

(nodding in appreciation)

I’m afraid I have to go to bed now.

He shakes hands with the guests, thanks them anew for his

shirt, kisses his mother, and runs up the stairs. The big

clock shows almost eleven.

100 INT. ELIO’S BEDROOM -PERLMAN VILLA -NIGHT 100

Later still. ELIO sits at his desk. He has taken off the

Hawaiian shirt and is now wearing a T-shirt. He smokes a

cigarette while he writes in his journal. We see his pen

forming his thoughts.

ELIO breaks off to listen for sounds coming from Oliver’s

room. Dead silence. His watch says a quarter to twelve.

Barefoot, he gets closer to the door that separates the two

rooms. He looks through the cracks but sees no light. He

returns to his post.

He glimpses himself in the mirror and says to his reflection:

“Do I know you?”.

67.

He turns his face from side to side to catch different

lights. He goes at the bathroom door to listen, but there are

no sounds from inside.

101 INT. OLIVER’S ROOM -PERLMAN VILLA -NIGHT 101

OLIVER is lying fully dressed on his bed, in the dark,

smoking a cigarette. A half-full ashtray is resting on the

pillow next to him. His espadrilles lie on the floor where he

kicked them off. Oliver’s expression is enigmatic compared to

Elio’s, calmness itself. He hears Elio run the tap in their

adjoining bathroom and looks up.

102 INT. ELIO’S AND OLIVER’S BATHROOM -PERLMAN VILLA -NIGHT102

In the bathroom ELIO pees. He’s careful not to make any noise

and aims high. He says softly, looking down at his penis, “Do

I know you?” He flushes the toilet and turns off the tap.

103 INT. ELIO’S BEDROOM -PERLMAN VILLA -NIGHT 103

When ELIO emerges from the bathroom he hears voices coming up

from below as the guests are leaving. He reaches the window

and looks down at “Laurel and Hardy” who stand by the car

saying their goodbyes and laughing affectionately. The twomen get into their car, the PERLMANS waving as it drives

away.

Right in that moment ELIO rises his gaze and sees OLIVER on

the balcony above the main entrance.

104 INT. CORRIDOR/EXT. BALCONY -PERLMAN VILLA -NIGHT 104

ELIO runs into the corridor and reaches the balcony whereOLIVER is smoking.

OLIVER:

I’m glad you came. I could hear you

moving in your room and for a while

I thought you were getting ready to

go to bed, had changed your mind.

ELIO:

Change my mind? Of course I was

coming.

ELIO steps close to the ledge.

ELIO (CONT’D)

So you do smoke?

OLIVER:

Sometimes.

68.

ELIO:

(not knowing what else to

say)

I’m nervous.

OLIVER:

Me too.

ELIO:

I am more so.

105 INT. OLIVER’S BEDROOM -PERLMAN VILLA -NIGHT 105

OLIVER sits on the bed, his legs crossed, looking smaller,

younger. ELIO stands awkwardly at the foot of the bed, not

knowing what to do with his hands. He keeps putting them in

his pockets, then taking them out again.

OLIVER:

(placing the full ashtray

onto the floor)

Come, sit.

Hestitating, ELIO crawls onto the bed and sits facing him,

cross-legged like Oliver, making sure their knees don’t

touch. Needing suddenly to shed his shyness and inhibitions,

ELIO decides he has to lean against something and slides upto the top of the bed, resting his back against the headboard

beside OLIVER.

ELIO looks down at the bed and at the two of them side by

side on it, a moment he has dreamed of. Now here we are, he

thinks, hardly able to believe it. As if to highlight that

moment, OLIVER stretches his legs out, his bare feet next to

ELIO’s own.

OLIVER (CONT’D)

You okay?

ELIO:

Me okay.

With his toes, ELIO reaches over to Oliver’s toes and touches

them. He slips his big toe in between Oliver’s big toe andhis second toe. OLIVER does not respond. Since he is sitting

on Oliver’s left he figures these are not the toes that

touched him at lunch the other day. It was his right footthat was guilty, so ELIO tries to reach it with his own right

foot, in a kind of desperately playful mood.

OLIVER:

What are you doing?

ELIO:

Nothing.

69.

Somewhat absentmindedly, awkwardly and without conviction,

OLIVER reciprocates the movement, seeking out Elio’s other

foot. ELIO moves closer to OLIVER, then hugs him. A kind of

child’s hug, which OLIVER responds to only by saying, half-

humorously:

OLIVER:

That’s a start.

ELIO shrugs, not wanting to speak.

OLIVER (CONT’D)

Does this make you happy? You

aren’t going to have a nosebleed

are you?

It does, and ELIO nods yes, then no. Finally, OLIVER brings

his arm around ELIO. He doesn’t stroke him, doesn’t hold him

tight. ELIO loosens his own hold for a moment, giving him

time enough to bring both his hands, seeking skin, under

Oliver’s loose shirt and resume his embrace.

OLIVER (CONT’D)

You sure you want this?

ELIO nods again, Yes.

OLIVER (CONT’D)

We haven’t talked.

ELIO shrugs his shoulders, meaning "No need to."

OLIVER lifts Elio’s face with both hands and stares at him

the way he did on the cliff, even more intensely.

OLIVER (CONT’D)

Can I kiss you?

Then he suddenly pulls back, as if he might laugh, and runs

his fingers through Elio’s hair, messing it up.

ELIO brings his mouth to Oliver’s in a fiercely eager kiss.

Something seems to clear away between them, and both abandon

themselves to the kiss. ELIO hungrily kisses Oliver’s closed

eyes, his nose, his ears, his throat, discovering them with

his lips. OLIVER kisses him back as eagerly, even roughly.

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